Lightning occurs when META 4, an Oil Products Tanker, sails into Muscat Anchorage on March 21, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman. Elke Scholiers | Getty Images President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, dimming hopes for a quick end to the conflict in the Middle…
Consumer confidence plunged to a record low in April as fears mounted over rising energy prices and the broader impact of the Iran war, according to a University of Michigan survey Friday. The university’s headline index of consumer sentiment tumbled to 47.6, down 10.7% from March to its lowest on record. Current conditions and expectations…
A man shops for butter at a supermarket in Houston, Texas, on March 17, 2026. Ronaldo Schemidt | AFP | Getty Images Consumer prices spiked in March as the Iran war sent energy costs soaring and took the Federal Reserve further from its inflation target, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Underlying…
A customer shops for beef at a grocery store on April 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Core inflation eased slightly in February before the recent surge in energy prices, according to a key gauge released Thursday that offers the Federal Reserve a snapshot of conditions leading into the Iran…
A month into the worst oil supply disruption since the 1970s Arab embargo, the economic pain spreading across Asia is reviving an uncomfortable question: Could this be 1997 all over again? The parallels are hard to ignore. Asian currencies are under pressure, fueling the risk of capital outflows. Spiking energy costs have pushed governments to…
A trader works, as a screen broadcasts a press conference by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell following the Fed rate announcement, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., March 18, 2026. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Traders are entertaining the possibility of an interest rate cut by…
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 06: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe (L) and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (R) during a news conference in James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong | Getty Images News |…
The U.S. labor market bounced back in March, with job creation much stronger than expected though the broader picture of a slow-growth labor market held intact. Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 178,000 during the month, a reversal from the 133,000 decline in February and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 59,000, the…
A “Help Wanted” sign hangs in restaurant window in Medford, Massachusetts, U.S., January 25, 2023. Brian Snyder | Reuters Nonfarm payrolls are expected to bounce back — barely — in March as the bar keeps getting lower for what constitutes a healthy labor market. The U.S. economy is projected to show job gains of 59,000…
Private sector employment growth was a bit better than expected in March, but health care and construction continued to provide nearly all the momentum, payrolls processing company ADP reported Wednesday. Job growth totaled 62,000 for the month, down just 4,000 from February’s upwardly revised level but above the Dow Jones consensus for 39,000. ADP’s report…