Key inflation gauge rose last month while Americans cut back on spending

WASHINGTON — A key inflation gauge moved higher in May in the latest sign that prices remain stubbornly elevated while Americans cut back on their spending. Prices rose 2.3% in May compared with a year ago, up from just 2.1% in April, the Commerce Department said Friday. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core […]

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Fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remain low

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, a sign that companies aren’t cutting many jobs. Jobless claims for the week ended June 21 dropped 10,000 to 236,000, a historically-low level. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out weekly volatility, dipped 750 to 245,000. […]

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Fed’s Powell repeats warning about tariffs as some GOP senators accuse him of bias

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs will likely push up inflation in the coming months, even as some Republican senators suggested the chair was biased against the duties. On the second day of his twice-yearly testimony before the House and Senate, Powell said that consumers will […]

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College graduates face toughest job market in more than a decade as hiring slows

WASHINGTON — While completing a master’s degree in data analysis, Palwasha Zahid moved from Dallas to a town near Silicon Valley. The location made it easy to visit the campuses of tech stalwarts such as Google, Apple, and Nvidia. Zahid, 25, completed her studies in December, but so far she hasn’t found a job in […]

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Federal Reserve’s Bowman says rate cut should be on table in July

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve governor Michelle Bowman on Monday said the central bank should consider cutting its key interest rate as soon as its next meeting in July, underscoring deep divisions among Fed officials as they endure sharp criticism from the White House. Bowman said that President Donald Trump’s tariffs have so far not caused […]

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Fed officials left in limbo as tariffs complicate this week’s rate decision

WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy is mostly in good shape but that isn’t saving Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell from a spell of angst. As the Fed considers its next moves during a two-day meeting this week, most economic data looks solid: Inflation has been steadily fading, while the unemployment rate is still a historically […]

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US retail sales fall as Americans turn cautious after spending early to beat tariffs

WASHINGTON — Retail sales fell sharply in May as consumers pulled back after a sharp increase in spending in March to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on nearly all imports. Sales at retail stores and restaurants dropped 0.9% in May, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, after a decline of 0.1% in April. […]

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Consumer sentiment rises for 1st time this year as inflation remains tame

WASHINGTON — Consumer sentiment increased in June for the first time in six months, the latest sign that Americans’ views of the economy have improved as inflation has stayed tame and the Trump administration has reached a truce in its trade fight with China. The preliminary reading of the University of Michigan’s closely watched consumer […]

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US inflation gauge cools with little sign of tariff impact, so far

WASHINGTON — A key U.S. inflation gauge slowed last month as President Donald Trump’s tariffs have yet to noticeably push up prices, while American incomes jumped. Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose just 2.1% in April compared with a year earlier, down from 2.3% in March and the lowest since […]

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Trump meets with the Federal Reserve chairman he has repeatedly scorned

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump met with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday and the two discussed the economy but not Powell’s outlook for interest rates, the Fed said. Powell told Trump that the central bank would make decisions about the short-term interest rate it controls “based solely on careful, objective, and non-political analysis.” […]

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