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6+ min ago (1047+ words) The basic questions for market participants and policymakers remain the same after a widely expected Fed rate cut. After a third-quarter-point reduction since September, the target range for the federal funds rate is now 3.50% to 3.75%. According to Louis Navellier of Navellier & Associates, the latest move by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) "will determine how the year will close out." Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues The Fed's updated Summary of Economic Projections (pdf) " including its dot plot " reflects both concerns about the jobs market and persistent inflation as well as rosier growth expectations. The median forecast shows 2.3% GDP growth in 2026, up from 1.8% in September, core inflation of 2.5%, down from 2.6%, and unemployment steady at 4.4%. Altogether, it adds up to only one rate cut in 2026. Fed funds futures pricing shows a 75.6% probability…...

12+ min ago (679+ words) The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point Wednesday for the third time since September, bringing its key rate to about 3.6%, the lowest in nearly three years. Before September, it had gone nine months without a cut. The benchmark rate is the rate at which banks borrow and lend to one another, and the Fed has two goals when it sets the rate: one, to manage prices for goods and services, and two, to encourage full employment. The benchmark rate also affects the interest rates consumers pay to borrow money via credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and other financial products. For savers, falling interest rates will continue to erode attractive yields currently on offer with certificates of deposit (CDs) and high-yield savings accounts. Three of the big five banks (Ally, American Express, and Synchrony) cut their…...

13+ min ago (161+ words) Powell's press conference ended with the market still pricing in more interest-rate cuts in 2026 than the median projection among Fed officials. Markets are pricing in two cuts of a quarter of a percentage point over the next 12 months, Bloomberg data show, while the median call in the summary of p Powell's press conference ended with the market still pricing in more interest-rate cuts in 2026 than the median projection among Fed officials. Markets are pricing in two cuts of a quarter of a percentage point over the next 12 months, Bloomberg data show, while the median call in the summary of policymakers' economic projections pointed to only one. To some degree, investors and the Fed are in agreement that rates are headed lower. Powell clearly said that he doesn't believe the Fed raising rates as its next policy adjustment is "anybody's base…...

20+ min ago (552+ words) The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and was on track to squeak past its all-time closing high, which was set in October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 559 points, or 1.2%, with roughly an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% higher. Wall Street loves lower interest rates because they can boost the economy and goose prices for investments, even if they have the potential of making inflation worse. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said again on Wednesday that the central bank is in a difficult position, because the job market is facing downward pressure when inflation is facing upward pressure at the same time. That creates a dilemma for the Fed, which usually makes one of those problems worse in the short term when it tries to fix the other. At the moment, though, Powell said for the first time…...

24+ min ago (99+ words) Dec. 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET The Fed lowered interest rates by another quarter of a percentage point at the conclusion of its December meeting. But it is what officials projected for 2026 that might matter more. 2026 cuts: The FOMC is still penciling in just one quarter-point reduction next year. Three officials see higher rates in 2026. Disagreement: It was the first time since 2019 that three committee members dissented against a rate-cut decision. Trump: The president said the Fed could've cut by double the amount today. Market reaction: Stocks rose, bond yields fell....

25+ min ago (528+ words) On expected lines, the central bank was divided in its decision, as nine out of the 12 members voted in favour of the rate cut, while one member felt the need for a 50 basis point rate cut. Meanwhile, as Reuters reported, only four policymakers actually projected a single rate cut next year, with another four expecting two cuts and four others anticipating even more. However, the Fed's future policy path will rely on the incoming data as the central bank underscored the conflicting signs of slowing growth and elevated inflation visible in the US economy. "Job gains have slowed this year, and the unemployment rate has edged up through September. More recent indicators are consistent with these developments. Inflation has moved up since earlier in the year and remains somewhat elevated," said the FOMC. According to Jeffrey Roach, Chief Economist for…...

35+ min ago (566+ words) The US Dollar (USD) sold off sharply on Wednesday, as investors continued to digest the largely anticipated rate cut by the Federal Reserve, while the updated "dots plot" surprised no one. The US Dollar Index (DXY) reversed two daily gains in a row and collapsed to multi-week lows in the 98.60-98.50 band amid declining yields following the FOMC event on Wednesday. The Balance of Trade results are due, seconded by the usual weekly Initial Jobless Claims and Wholesale Inventories. EUR/USD regained strong traction and left behind four consecutive daily pullbacks, revisiting once again the vicinity of the 1.1700 hurdle. Next on tap on the domestic calendar will be Germany's final Inflation Rate on December 12. GBP/USD rose sharply and challenged monthly peaks in the area just shy of the 1.3400 barrier. The RICS House Price Balance is due, seconded by the speech…...

39+ min ago (154+ words) There's been a lot of talk this fall about the so-called K-shaped economy'a phrase that describes how higher-income households seem to be thriving, while lower and middle-income consumers are hurting. On Wednesday, Powell acknowledged the nascent trend was "clearly a thing." Companies catering to l There's been a lot of talk this fall about the so-called K-shaped economy'a phrase that describes how higher-income households seem to be thriving, while lower and middle-income consumers are hurting. On Wednesday, Powell acknowledged the nascent trend was "clearly a thing." Companies catering to lower-income households have said their consumers are tightening their belts, trading down, and buying less, he said. Meanwhile, people at the higher end of the income spectrum are benefitting from higher housing prices and a run-up in equities. As a result, they are now driving a good chunk of consumer spending....

40+ min ago (189+ words) Acquisition of office units in Sha Tin's Metropole Square follows Metropolitan University's US$334 million purchase of Hung Hom property The acquisition covers 16 office units measuring 19,139 sq ft on the 11th floor of Metropole Square in Sha Tin, together with four car parking spaces. The seller was listed company Alco Holdings, which manufactures and sells consumer electronic products in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Wednesday night. The premises currently serve as Alco's office. The company marketed laptops under the Avita and Nexstgo brands, tablets under RCA and e-bikes under the Biomega label. The purchase price was agreed following a valuation in October that estimated the property's worth at about HK$88.68 million. The deal was expected to be completed in January, Alco said. "The net proceeds will be used to repay the group's bank…...

45+ min ago (1248+ words) Jaclyn Thomas of Southwest Greensburg and Tim Taylor of Sharpsburg are feeling the economic pressure of rising costs in different ways. "Being on a low income, it's very hard," said Thomas, 46, who is a food stamp recipient. "There's a lot of things I had to cut out." Taylor, 41, said that with rising costs, he's concerned he's not able to put as much money as he'd like into his retirement savings. "The goal is to retire as early as possible, so I'm trying to spend as little as I can," he said while shopping Wednesday at the Walmart in the Village at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer. Thomas' and Taylor's concerns were among the mixed opinions area shoppers shared about the economy and the cost of living in the wake of President Donald Trump's remarks Tuesday night that inflation is no longer…...