Tag Archives: inflation

Interest Rates Coming Down?

The Mortgage Corner “Existing-home sales rose in May, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Sales elevated in the Northeast, Midwest and South, but retreated in the West. Year-over-year, sales progressed in the Northeast and Midwest but contracted in the … Continue reading

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U.S. Already in Recession?

Financial FAQs The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the US ticked down by 0.1% in May 2025 to 99.0 (2016=100), after declining by 1.4% in April (revised downward from –1.0% originally reported). The LEI has fallen by 2.7% in … Continue reading

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Tariffs Trump Consumer Spending

Financial FAQs “Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for May 2025, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $715.4 billion, down 0.9 percent (±0.5 percent) from the previous month, … Continue reading

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Immigrants Make a Difference

Popular Economics Weekly “Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 139,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment continued to trend up in health care, leisure and hospitality, … Continue reading

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More Signs of Slower Growth

Financial FAQs “The manufacturing economy continues to struggle,” Susan Spence of ISM said. “It will continue to struggle” due to all the trade uncertainty. “The administration’s tariffs alone have created supply chain disruptions rivaling that of Covid-19,” executive at an … Continue reading

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Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill?

Answering Kennedy’s Call “The House has now passed what must surely be the worst piece of legislation in modern U.S. history. Millions of Americans are about to see crucial government support snatched away. A significant number will die prematurely due … Continue reading

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What’s the Fed Saying?

The Mortgage Corner “In considering the outlook for monetary policy, participants agreed that with economic growth and the labor market still solid and current monetary policy moderately restrictive, the committee was well positioned to wait for more clarity on the … Continue reading

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Consumers Not So Confident

Financial FAQs “Consumer confidence improved in May after five consecutive months of decline,” said Stephanie Guichard, Senior Economist, Global Indicators at The Conference Board. “The rebound was already visible before the May 12 US-China trade deal but gained momentum afterwards.” Conference … Continue reading

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Manufacturing Not the Problem

Popular Economics Weekly “In April, U.S. manufacturing activity slipped marginally further into contraction after expanding only marginally in February. Demand and output weakened while input strengthened further, conditions that are not considered positive for economic growth.” ISM Manufacturing FREDIndustrialproduction U.S. … Continue reading

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No Art of the Deal?

Financial FAQs “It’s 100 days into the Trump Presidency and looking more and more like President Trump is no more effective at running the country than his business interests. His book, The Art of the Deal, was meant to tout his negotiating … Continue reading

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