Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation continued to inch toward its 2% target last month, but the impact of higher tariffs have yet to reflect meaningfully in government data. The headline Personal Consumption Expenditure, or PCE, index increased 2.1% on an annualized basis in April, according to a report released by the […]
April PCE inflation comes in at 2.1%, nearing Fed goal Read More »
Following a late Wednesday night decision by the U.S. Court of International Trade to halt President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on trade partners, a second federal court issued a similar decision in which it ruled that the invocation of a 1977 law does not give the president unilateral authority to impose such levies. But a
Whiplash: As second court orders halt to tariffs, appeals court keeps them in place Read More »
A federal trade court has blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to impose broad tariffs under emergency powers — ruling the move exceeded the authority granted to the president by the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade issued the decision Wednesday, siding with plaintiffs who
Federal Court blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs Read More »
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson.Bloomberg News The Federal Reserve’s second-in-command is looking for solid evidence of the impact of tariffs before throwing his support behind changing interest rates. In a Wednesday morning speech, Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said the central bank’s current monetary policy stance gives it the flexibility needed to respond to
Fed vice chair focused on ‘hard data’ amid uncertainty Read More »
What will happen to mortgage rates now that China and the U.S. have made progress in their trade war, agreeing to a 90-day period of lower tariffs? Stocks are up considerably this morning and bond yields have also increased. This raises the question: Is the de-escalation of the trade war good for mortgage rates? The
What happens to mortgage rates with more trade deals? Read More »
Bloomberg News The U.S. and China have agreed to pause the bulk of their tariff policies against one another for 90 days, sending a jolt of optimism through the banking sector and its investors. The temporary truce was struck over the weekend and announced on Monday, causing stocks to rally and credit spreads to tighten
U.S.-China tariff truce gives banks hope amid uncertainty Read More »
Federal Reserve Gov. Adriana Kugler on Monday warned U.S. tariffs could propel higher inflation and curb economic growth. While Kugler’s remarks — delivered at the International Economic Symposium in Dublin — argued that the U.S. economy had shown resilience up until now, she characterized the coming impact of tariffs as a negative supply shock that
Fed’s Kugler: Tariffs present stagflation-like pressure Read More »
If someone had told me that home sales would remain firm this year despite mortgage rates ranging from 7.25% to 6.64%, I would not have taken that bet. However, amid all the chaotic economic headlines of 2025 so far, the demand for mortgages is holding steady, even with the higher rates. Let’s dig into the
Mortgage demand still staying firm with elevated rates Read More »