The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.9% annual pace from October through December, ending 2022 with momentum despite the pressure of high interest rates and widespread fears of a looming recession. Thursday’s estimate from the Commerce Department showed that the ...
Read More »US economy slowed but still grew at 2.9% rate last quarter
Federal Reserve and the markets in standoff on rate hikes 
Sooner or later, either Wall Street or the Federal Reserve has to blink. Nearly a year into the Fed’s drive to quash inflation by hiking interest rates at a blistering pace, investors still don’t seem to fully believe what the ...
Read More »1st small modular nuclear reactor certified for use in US 
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has certified the design for what will be the United States’ first small modular nuclear reactor. The rule that certifies the design was published last week in the Federal Register. It means that companies seeking ...
Read More »Tech industry job cuts come rapidly and in big numbers 
In just the past month there have been nearly 50,000 job cuts across the technology sector. Large and small tech companies went on a hiring spree in over the past several years due to a demand for their products, software ...
Read More »US Treasury buys time for Biden and GOP on debt limit deal 
The U.S. government bumped up against its debt limit Thursday, prompting the Treasury Department to take “extraordinary” accounting steps to avoid default — as friction between President Joe Biden and House Republicans raised concern about whether the U.S. can sidestep an economic ...
Read More »2022 was slowest year for US home sales in nearly a decade 
U.S. home sales tumbled to the slowest pace in nearly a decade as soaring mortgage rates and sky high prices in 2022 pushed homeownership out of reach for many Americans. The National Association of Realtors said Friday that existing U.S. ...
Read More »Fed’s Mester: Rate hikes have begun to quell US inflation 
Growing evidence that high inflation is finally easing shows that the Federal Reserve’s sharp interest rate hikes are working as intended, says Loretta Mester, a key Fed policymaker. But further rate hikes are still needed, she says, to decisively crush the worst ...
Read More »Washington state court OK’s Albertsons’ merger $4B dividend 
The Washington state Supreme Court has brushed aside the final remaining legal hurdle in the way of a $4 billion dividend by Albertsons to its shareholders ahead of a proposed merger with rival Kroger. The state’s highest court on Tuesday ...
Read More »Airlines back more spending, staff to fix failed FAA system 
Airline executives bristled last year when government officials, led by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, blamed the carriers for causing thousands of flight cancellations and mistreating their customers. The shoe is on the other foot now after a technology outage at ...
Read More »Average long-term US mortgage rate comes back down this week 
After two straight weekly increases, the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate came back down again this week but remains a significant hurdle for many prospective homebuyers. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the benchmark 30-year rate ...
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