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☆ Fed's hawks make a pitch against a rate-hike pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

On Thursday, rate-futures markets reflected a one-in-three chance of a June rate hike, compared with a one-in-10-chance seen a week ago. The Fed has lifted borrowing costs at each meeting since March 2022, bringing them from near zero to a 5.00-5.25% range as of early this month. Consumer price inflation, for instance, edged down to a 4.9% annual pace in April but is still far above the Fed's 2% goal. However, his embrace of the idea that there is still a lot of policy tightening in the pipeline suggests he could be comfortable with a pause. Dallas Fed's Logan had the opposite presumption.

President Joe Biden and McCarthy reiterated their aim to strike a deal soon on Wednesday to raise the $31.4 trillion federal debt ceiling and agreed to talk as soon as Sunday. Growth stocks led gains, with Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) rising between 1% and 4.4%. Bath & Body Works Inc (BBWI.N) gained 9.6% after the beauty and skincare firm raised its annual profit forecast. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.07-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 1.04-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 22 new 52-week highs and four new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 68 new highs and 50 new lows.

Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) constituent Cisco Systems Inc's (CSCO.O) shares fell 4.3% in premarket trading after it said a large backlog of products weighed on demand for new orders from customers. Shares of Walmart Inc (WMT.N) rose 1.7% after the retailer raised its annual sales and profit targets, befitting from inflation-wary consumers trading down to cheaper groceries. ET, Dow e-minis were down 31 points, or 0.09%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 1.75 points, or 0.04%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 15 points, or 0.11%. Bath & Body Works Inc (BBWI.N) gained 13% after the beauty and skincare firm raised its annual profit forecast. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he welcomed and expected more investment from global chipmakers in the country.

☆ Fed's Logan: data does not yet show June pause is appropriate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 18 (Reuters) - Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Lorie Logan on Thursday said she's concerned that "much too high" inflation is not cooling fast enough yet to allow the Fed to pause its interest-rate hike campaign in June. "The data in coming weeks could yet show that it is appropriate to skip a meeting," Logan said in remarks prepared for delivery to the Texas Bankers Association in San Antonio, referring to the Fed's twice-quarterly policy-setting meetings, the next of which takes place June 13-14. "As of today, though, we aren’t there yet." Reporting by Ann SaphirOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fed Officials Suggest June Rate Rise Will Be Close Call
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Nick Timiraos | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Federal Reserve officials indicated the decision to raise interest rates at their meeting next month was shaping up as a close call, with another policy maker Thursday hinting she would support another increase. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan, a key centrist on the Fed’s policy-setting committee, suggested that barring further weakness in the economic outlook, she would be prepared to lift the benchmark federal-funds rate by a quarter percentage point at the central bank’s June 13-14 meeting.

☆ Morning Bid: Get ready for the debt ceiling rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Kevin BucklandEuropean shares look poised to rally after a wave of optimism that a U.S. debt ceiling deal could be reached as soon as the weekend, which lifted stocks on Wall Street and in Asia. Analysts highlighted how both parties agreed to new, smaller teams to continue negotiations, which they took as a sign that discussions have moved to a more advanced stage. Cash available at the U.S. Treasury general account, used to pay for all official U.S. obligations, is draining fast as extraordinary measures are exhausted, pending a debt ceiling deal to raise the limit. The Nasdaq is on the cusp of a 13-month peak, and the Dax is hovering near its highest since January of last year. Reporting by Kevin Buckland; Editing by Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ There are 2 things needed to sustain this year's blistering rally in tech stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It said a further rally needs continued profitability at tech companies and rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The Nasdaq Composite on Wednesday closed at a year-to-date high, at 12,500.57, and it's up more than 19% since the start of the year. While Federal Reserve anticipates a "mild recession" starting later this year, policymakers have indicated they won't begin cutting interest rates until 2024. High interest rates can hurt the potential value of future profit at growth companies. DataTrek said the Fed battling hot inflation "was not a factor during the winning years," it had outlined for the Nasdaq Composite.

☆ Tech leads US stocks higher as traders ride AI hype and cheer debt ceiling progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tech led the stock market higher on Thursday as investors chase the growing hype around artificial intelligence. Investors are also looking toward progress on the debt ceiling negotiations and the potential for another Fed rate hike in June. Investors were also closely monitoring progress on debt ceiling negotiations, with the June 1 "X-date" now less than two weeks away. While President Biden traveled to Japan for the G7 summit, he said he would cut his trip early and return to Washington, D.C. to continue the debt ceiling negotiations. Fed President James Bullard also said on Thursday that another rate hike in June is possible.

Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) constituent Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O) slipped 1.7% after it said a large backlog of products weighed on demand for new orders from customers. Shares of Walmart Inc (WMT.N) rose 2.8% after the retailer raised its annual sales and profit targets, benefiting from inflation-wary consumers trading down to cheaper groceries. And you got a little follow through from the optimism around getting a (debt ceiling) deal done," said Thomas Hayes, chairman at Great Hill Capital LLC. Bath & Body Works Inc (BBWI.N) gained 8.7% after the beauty and skincare firm raised its annual profit forecast. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 2.30-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 1.47-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

☆ As Democrats update their plan for national paid family and medical leave, here's what it could mean for workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., urges Congress to make child care affordable, pass paid leave, support care infrastructure, and raise the debt ceiling on May 17, 2023 in Washington, D.C. This week, Democrats in Washington re-upped a push to create a national program to give every worker access to paid family and medical leave. Now, Gillibrand and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., are putting forward an updated version of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave, or FAMILY, Act. "Thirty years ago, we broke ground by enshrining the Family and Medical Leave Act into law, providing unpaid family and medical leave for working Americans," DeLauro said in a statement of the law passed under President Bill Clinton. "Let's break ground again by making it paid," DeLauro said.

☆ Dallas Fed President Logan says current data doesn't justify pausing rate hikes yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Dallas Federal Reserve President Lorie Logan said Thursday that the economic data points so far don't justify skipping a rate increase at the central bank's next meeting in June. While noting some progress in bringing down inflation and cooling the labor market, Logan said the Fed still has work to do in achieving its goal for price stability. But she expressed concern that what she's seen so far has indicated only modest impact from the Fed rate hikes, which have totaled 5 percentage points. And it's a long way from here to 2% inflation," Logan said, referring to the Fed's longer-run goal. She noted that the Fed's preferred inflation data point, the core personal consumption expenditures price index, ran at a 4.9% annualized pace in the first quarter.

☆ Sen. Bernie Sanders renews push for Medicare for All to end 'totally broken' health-care system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

This week, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is renewing his push for a new approach — Medicare for All — that he touted as a presidential candidate. "The current health-care system in the United States is totally broken," Sanders said Tuesday at a Capitol Hill event. Medicare for All would create a single-payer program, which would allow one source to collect all health-care fees and pay all health-care costs. "It is long overdue for us to end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all of its people," Sanders said. "Now is the time for a Medicare for All single-payer program."

☆ This chart shows the fastest-rising costs for Social Security beneficiaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Lordhenrivoton | E+ | Getty ImagesHigh inflation 'extremely difficult' for retireesSocial Security COLAs have increased by 78% since 2000, according to The Senior Citizens League. At the same time, the cost of goods and services retirees typically buy has gone up by 141.4% over that time. Yet the current 36% loss in buying power is still one of the deepest losses recorded, according to the group. Eggs topped the list of fastest-growing costs for seniors since 2000. While higher spending may complicate the fight against higher inflation, it is delayed relief for older Americans, whose COLA was lower than price growth in 2022.

☆ Treasury yields fall as investors weigh Fed rate policy path
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Yields and prices move in opposite directions and one basis point is equivalent to 0.01%. U.S. Treasury yields declined on Tuesday as investors assessed what could be next for Federal Reserve interest rates following a slew of comments from central bank officials. Investors looked to comments from Fed officials and economic data as they weighed what could be next for interest rate policy and whether the U.S. economy is likely to contract. That comes after last week's inflation data, which was slightly below expectations, led many investors to hope for rate cuts in the second half of the year. Concerns about elevated rates dragging the U.S. economy into a recession have grown louder in recent weeks.

☆ Debt ceiling woes point to need for Social Security, Medicare reform, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As lawmakers work to hammer out a debt limit deal, experts already say more needs to be done to curb the nation's spending, and that could include Social Security and Medicare reform. The debt ceiling is the maximum amount of money that the federal government may borrow to pay its bills. More from Personal Finance:How federal payments may be delayed in debt ceiling standoffWhat the looming debt ceiling crisis means for your portfolioWho could be affected most by retirement reforms in the U.S. House Republicans have passed legislation called the Limit, Save, Grow Act to raise the debt ceiling. While there is optimism both parties will come together to address the issue, experts say it is unlikely any compromise will include long-term fixes for the nation's fiscal woes.

☆ As lawmakers warn of a Social Security 'shutdown,' here's how the debt ceiling may affect benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Amid a stalemate on federal debt ceiling negotiations, some government officials are warning the Social Security checks sent to more than 65 million beneficiaries each month could be at risk. On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned a "Social Security shutdown" could happen if the U.S. defaults on its debt. The debt ceiling is the maximum amount of money the U.S. government can borrow. The pressure is on Congress to raise or suspend the debt limit before the emergency funding runs out. "Part of the challenge here is that this is unprecedented," said Maria Freese, senior legislative representative at the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

☆ $7.25 federal minimum wage is a 'national disgrace,' says Sen. Bernie Sanders, backing push for $17/hour
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks on raising the federal minimum wage outside the U.S. Capitol on May 4, 2023. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images13 states have approved a $15 minimum wageToday, 13 states have approved a $15 minimum wage, Sanders said. Sen. Bernie Sanders Independent U.S. senator from VermontDemocrats had pursued raising the federal minimum wage in recent years, though those efforts stalled. When President Joe Biden took office, he promised to address the federal minimum wage in his first 100 days, Blalock recalled. 'A weak minimum wage is bad for the overall economy'Opponents to raising the minimum wage cite the higher costs those increases would put on businesses.

☆ As retirement age change sparks protests in France, here's what could happen in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Damien Meyer | Afp | Getty ImagesAn increase in pension retirement age to 64 from 62 in France has sparked ongoing protests. The U.S. could be poised for a similar change with the Social Security retirement age. Today, that higher retirement age is still getting phased in. People born in 1960 and later now must wait until 67 to receive their full "retirement age" benefits. For example, if you are eligible for a $1,000 monthly benefit at full retirement age, you would get just $700 per month if you started at age 62.

"My belief is that we don't get inflation down to 2% without a recession," said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. As the economy fluctuates, experts say there are several key risk areas that consumers may want to keep an eye on. That still leaves about 1.6 open jobs to every available worker, which is "very good," according to Andy Challenger, senior vice president at outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Pricey car loan 'quickly becomes untenable'Auto loan delinquencies are already rising, particularly for borrowers with weaker credit profiles, McBride noted. In 2022, consumers paid $133.1 billion in credit card interest and fees, a 23.1% increase from the estimated $108.1 billion they paid in 2021.

☆ 69% of people either failed or barely passed this Social Security quiz. Test your knowledge before you claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Most Americans nearing retirement expect Social Security to be their biggest source of income. About 43% of the 1,500 people surveyed do not know how much of their income will come from Social Security benefits. The results to that answer were "stunning" for a cohort so close to their retirement years, said David Freitag, a financial planning consultant and Social Security expert at MassMutual. The result: 69% either barely passed or failed. More than one-third — 35% — of respondents failed.

☆ Series I bond rates fall to 4.3% amid cooling inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Series I bonds will offer a 4.3% interest rate through October, according to new rates issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on Friday. The new rate marks a decline from the 6.89% annual returns Series I bonds were offering for the six months ending in April. The new 4.3% rate comes as inflation has been coming down. Series I bonds earn both a fixed rate of interest and a rate that changes with inflation. The new 4.3% rate includes a fixed rate of 0.90% and will be effective from May 1 to Oct. 31.

☆ Heading into retirement? Here are 4 key tips for mapping out a game plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Claiming Social Security benefits• Key deadline to watch: By age 60, you should go to the Social Security Administration website and review your statement, recommends Craig Copeland, director of wealth benefits research at EBRI. When to claim Social Security retirement benefits is one of the big questions retirees face. At full retirement age — 66 or 67, depending on your date of birth — you will receive 100% of the benefits you earned. "The later you can file for Social Security, the better it is as far as the amount you're going to get," John said. While you may start your Social Security retirement benefits at age 62, eligibility for Medicare generally does not start until age 65.

☆ As lawmakers gear up for federal debt limit fight, here's what it could mean for Social Security
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks to reporters in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol after announcing his debt limit increase plan on the House floor on April 19, 2023. More from Personal Finance:GOP senator touts 'big idea' Social Security funding fixExperts argue Social Security retirement age should not pass 67The return on waiting to claim Social Security is 'huge'A default on the U.S. debt would be unprecedented, as the country has paid all its bills on time since 1789, Yellen noted. The extraordinary nature of such an event has called into question how the government would juggle payments, including Social Security benefit checks. The U.S. Department of the Treasury would likely prioritize the payment of Social Security benefit checks, Jason Fichtner, a former Social Security Administration executive and vice president and chief economist at the Bipartisan Policy Center, told CNBC.com in January. However, it is possible the Social Security Administration would delay payments to ensure it has enough cash on hand, he said.

☆ As possible Social Security benefits cut looms, GOP senator says lawmakers are working on a 'big idea' fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty ImagesSocial Security's trust funds have a new projected depletion date that is about a decade away. The idea calls for creating an investment fund separate from Social Security and allowing the investment to earn returns over a period of 70 years, Cassidy said. It would target the Social Security trust funds' biggest weakness, which is that it has "the absolute worst investment strategy you could have right now," Cassidy said. 'Big idea' inspired by private pensionsThe idea for investing Social Security's funds in the market is inspired by private pension funds, which already buy securities outside of Treasurys. Possible changes to fix Social Security generally include tax increases, benefit cuts or a combination of both.

☆ Why it's 'just no question' new investors should start by opening a Roth IRA, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A Roth IRA allows investors who qualify to set aside after-tax money up to a certain limit each year. Who can invest in a Roth IRAImportantly, you can start contributing to a Roth IRA starting from any age if you have taxable compensation. In 2023, investors may put up to $6,500 in traditional or Roth IRAs (or $7,500 if they're 50 or older). The way you invest the money inside a Roth IRA account can be adjusted to suit your goals. What you choose to put in the Roth IRA can be either savings or investments.

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