Business

moodboard/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Mortgage rates have fallen rapidly in recent months, offering homebuyers an opportunity for some borrowing relief if they move ahead with the big-ticket purchase. The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage stands at 6.35%, dropping from 6.5% over the week ending on Thursday, which amounted to the largest […]

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate a quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday, opting for its first interest rate cut this year in an effort to revive the flagging labor market. The central bank delivered a policy long-sought by President Donald Trump, though the size of […]

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — Twelve policymakers at the Federal Reserve are set to take a high-stakes vote this week on the nation’s benchmark interest rate, attempting to steer the economy through a stormy bout of slow hiring and rising inflation. In a highly unusual circumstance, however, two of the policymakers stand in limbo – […]

Marko Geber/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — U.S. employers added far fewer jobs in 2024 and early 2025 than previously thought, indicating the labor market may have been significantly weaker than initial estimates had suggested. The U.S. economy added 911,000 fewer jobs over the 12 months ending in March than previously estimated, the U.S. Bureau of […]

A 500 gram gold bar is seen in a gold shop window on April 17, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. Chris McGrath/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The price of gold topped $3,500 per ounce for the first time ever on Tuesday, reaching toward new record highs as trading stretched into midday. Gold prices have soared 35% so far […]

Narisara Nami/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — Fresh jobs data on Friday showed a continued hiring slowdown in the first such release since a dismal jobs report last month prompted President Donald Trump to fire the top official tasked with compiling labor statistics. The reading fell well short of economists’ expectations. The U.S. added 22,000 jobs in August, according to data […]

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — A tariff loophole for low-cost shipments helped fuel an explosion of U.S. consumers purchasing shoes, sunglasses and a host of other items directly from sellers overseas. The Trump administration closed that exemption on Friday, bringing the era of duty-free online buying to an end. President Donald Trump closed what’s known […]

Drew Angerer/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook sued President Donald Trump on Thursday over his move to fire her, saying she should retain her position as a top policymaker at the central bank. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, describes Trump’s effort as “illegal and unprecedented,” […]

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump Turnberry golf club on July 27, 2025 in Turnberry, Scotland. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The United States and European Union on Thursday released new details of their trade agreement, including tariff levels for consumer staples like pharmaceuticals […]

Stock image of stethoscope. ATU Images/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The labor market slowed sharply this summer, leaving job applicants with fewer places to turn for a new position. Employers added an average of about 35,000 jobs over three months ending in July, which marks a major slowdown from roughly 128,000 jobs added monthly over the prior […]