Economy

The U.S. Treasury building in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images China’s holdings of U.S. debt have fallen below $1 trillion for the first time in 12 years amid rising interest rates that have made Treasurys potentially less attractive. Continuing a trend that began early in 2021, China’s portfolio of U.S. government debt

Commuters travel on the L train system in the Loop on July 27, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images The U.S. unemployment rate fell for Black women last month even as the overall metric held steady across the board, but labor force participation also slipped for the group. Headline unemployment hovered at

A worker wearing a protective mask slices beef in the butcher section of a Stew Leonard’s supermarket in Paramus, New Jersey, on Tuesday, May 12, 2020. Angus Mordant | Bloomberg | Getty Images June’s big payroll jump helped clear away some of those recession clouds for a U.S. economy that nonetheless faces some stormy weather

Rising gas prices are piling pressure on the U.S. economy. Bloomberg | Getty Images The odds of the U.S. economy falling into recession by next year are greater than 50%, Richard Kelly, head of global strategy at TD Securities, said Monday, outlining three possible ways it could get hit. Rising gas prices combined with a

A woman shops in a supermarket as rising inflation affects consumer prices in Los Angeles, California, June 13, 2022. Lucy Nicholson | Reuters Consumers’ inflation expectations over the next year hit record highs, though the outlook over the longer term grew a little more optimistic, according to a survey Monday from the New York Federal

Shoppers paid sharply higher prices for a variety of goods in June as inflation kept its hold on a slowing U.S. economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. The consumer price index, a broad measure of everyday goods and services related to the cost of living, soared 9.1% from a year ago, above the

A pedestrian carries a shopping bag while walking through Union Square on May 17, 2022 in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Consumer spending held up during June’s inflation surge, with retail sales rising slightly more than expected for the month amid rising prices across most categories, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Advance

A Federal Reserve economic survey released Wednesday pointed to elevated recession fears along with a belief that soaring inflation will last at least through the end of the year. The central bank’s “Beige Book,” a collection of views from across its 12 districts, noted the economy is growing at just a “modest” pace since the

Inflation hit hard at the wholesale level in June, as producer prices surged a near-record amount from a year ago due to a big jump in energy costs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. The producer price index, a measure of the prices received for final demand products, increased 11.3% from a year ago,

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks to reporters after the Federal Reserve raised its target interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point to stem a disruptive surge in inflation, during a news conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in Washington, U.S., June 15, 2022. Elizabeth Frantz |

Meat is seen in a supermarket as rising inflation affects consumer prices in Los Angeles, California, June 13, 2022. Lucy Nicholson | Reuters Inflation doesn’t just happen at the gas pump and the grocery store. There are literally hundreds of avenues that filter into broader measures the government uses to gauge price increases. The big

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks to reporters after the Federal Reserve raised its target interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point to stem a disruptive surge in inflation, during a news conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in Washington, U.S., June 15, 2022. Elizabeth Frantz |

U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell takes questions after the Federal Reserve raised its target interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point to stem a disruptive surge in inflation, during a news conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in Washington, June 15, 2022. Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters

The exterior of the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building is seen in Washington, D.C., June 14, 2022. Sarah Silbiger | Reuters After years of being a beacon for financial markets, the Federal Reserve suddenly finds itself second-guessed as it tries to navigate the economy through a wicked bout of inflation and away from

In this article ULTA M UAL AAL DAL LYV QSR-CA DPZ GM F TAP WEN RDFN MCD TGT A woman pushes a shopping cart through the grocery aisle at Target in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 16, 2022, as Americans brace for summer sticker shock as inflation continues to grow. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen testifies before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on President Biden’s proposed 2023 U.S. budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 8, 2022. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters The recession that many Americans fear is coming is not “at all imminent,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday. Talk of a

Retail sales turned negative in May as consumers pulled back spending while inflation surged, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Advance retail and food service spending fell 0.3% for the month, below the Dow Jones estimate for a 0.1% gain. Excluding autos, sales were up 0.5%, which fell short of expectations for a 0.8% increase. The

The U.S. has experienced at least 30 recessions throughout history, dating back as early as 1857. Some economists argue that they may have become an inevitable part of the financial cycle that fluctuates between periods of expansion and contraction. “History teaches us that recessions are inevitable,” said David Wessel, a senior fellow in economic studies