Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday responded to a Trump administration official's demands for information about cost overruns for a renovation project at the central bank's Washington headquarters campus, saying the project was large in scope and involved a number of safety upgrades and hazardous materials removals. "As explained on the Board's public website, we take seriously the responsibility to be good stewards of public resources as we fulfill the duties given to us by Congress on behalf of the American people," Powell wrote in his letter to Office of Management and...
Investors are expecting more gains for the U.S. stock market in 2025 after two straight standout years, fueled by a solid economy supporting corporate profits, moderating interest rates and pro-growth policies from incoming president Donald Trump. The benchmark S&P 500 is up roughly 24% year-to-date, even with a recent speed bump, and is on pace for its second straight year of gains exceeding 20%, lifted by megacap tech stocks and excitement over the business potential of artificial intelligence. Investors are more confident about the economy than this time a year ago, with consumers...
China's official Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) eased to 50.1 in December, compared to 50.3 in the previous reading. The reading came in below the market consensus of 50.3 in the reported month. The NBS Non-Manufacturing PMI rose to 52.2 in December versus November's 50.0 figure and the estimates of 50.2. Source: FXstreet
Wall Street's main stock indexes hit their lowest point in over a week on Monday, as thin trading volumes and elevated Treasury yields overshadowed the typically robust year-end period for equities.At 11:45 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 350.71 points, or 0.82%, to 42,641.50, the S&P 500 lost 52.08 points, or 0.87%, to 5,918.76 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 195.71 points, or 0.99%, to 19,526.32.All 11 S&P 500 sectors were in the red, with consumer discretionary leading declines. Growth stocks such as Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) dropped 2.2% and...
Wall Street's holiday cheer ended abruptly on Friday, with all three main benchmarks slumping in a broad-based sell-off affecting even tech and growth stocks that had driven markets higher through much of the shortened trading week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.98% lower at 1.39 p.m. ET, falling 422.63 points to 42,903.17. The index is on course to snap a five-session winning streak following a 10-session decline, its worst losing stretch since 1974. The S&P 500 slipped 1.38%, or 83.08 points, to 5,954.51, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 1.85%, or 371.34 points, to...
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to 219K in the week ending Dec. 22, 2024. That was down from the 223K estimate and from the previous weekly reading of 220K before being revised down to 224K, the Labor Department said Thursday. Source: @Newsmaker23
China's official NBS Manufacturing PMI increased to 49.7 in June 2025 from May's 49.5, matching market expectations while marking the third consecutive month of contraction in factory activity.
It...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of further developments in trade talks between US President Trump and Chinese...
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he plans to send a single letter to over 150 countries outlining the tariff rate they will face, saying, "It's all going to be the same for everyone, for that...