Inflation falls again in May as CPI recedes from recent high-water mark

  • June 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The cost of goods and services for American consumers fell in May for the second time in three months as inflation continued to recede from a recent high-water mark. The consumer price index, or cost of living, fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.1% last month, the government said Wednesday.. A big drop in gasoline prices

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U.S. retail sales in May are weakest in 16 months

  • June 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Sales at retailers nationwide sank 0.3% last month, the biggest drop since January 2016. The May sales report was generally weak across the board. Economists polled had forecast flat sales in May. The reversal last month unwound much of the strength in April when sales jumped 0.4%. April sales benefited from a late Easter holiday

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Fed boosts key interest rate to 1-1.25 percent

  • June 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

At the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee moved its benchmark interest rate higher by 0.25 percentage point to between 1% and 1.25%, as had been widely expected on Wall Street.

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Small-business sentiment falls as economic expectations slide sharply

  • July 11, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Small-business sentiment fell again in June as business owners grew increasingly frustrated with Washington gridlock. The monthly sentiment tracker from the National Federation of Independent Business ticked down 0.9 points to 103.6, the fifth-straight month of declines or unchanged readings. The index now sits halfway between its pre-election reading of 98.4, and 105.8, the level

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Hiring in May strongest since 2004, Jolts shows

  • July 11, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The number of job openings in the U.S. fell sharply in May as companies hired the most people since 2004, a survey of the labor market shows. Job openings fell by 301,000 in May to 5.66 million, just one month after reaching the second highest level ever, the federal government reported Tuesday.

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Fed raises rates by 0.25%

  • June 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The Fed still believe gradual rate hikes are warranted. We saw 12 out of 16 Fed members can see one more rate hikes this year. They did lower their inflation expectations and said they would begin to unwind their balance sheet in the 4th QTR. This is not a major shock to the system, but

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Treasury yields try to climb from 2017 lows

  • June 15, 2017
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  • realestatelife

U.S. Treasury yields rose slightly on Thursday, with the 10-year benchmark note attempting to coming off its lowest level in 2017 after the Federal Reserve delivered its fourth interest-rate hike in about 18 months and outlined plans to unwind its $4.5 trillion balance sheet.

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Fed chair says job gains strong enough to expand labor force

  • July 12, 2017
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Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Wednesday, in prepared remarks to be given before Congress, the current pace of U.S. job growth is enough to expand the labor force.

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Bank of Canada makes first rate hike in 7 years

  • July 12, 2017
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The Bank of Canada, as expected, raised its overnight interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 0.75% on Wednesday. This was the first rate hike in seven years, making the Bank of Canada the first major central bank to join the Federal Reserve in raising rates. The Bank of Canada’s decision was

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Prices of imported goods post steepest drop in 15 months

  • June 15, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The import price index fell by 0.3% last month. It’s the second decline in three months and the steepest drop since February 2016.

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