President Trump campaigned on a promise to bring down interest rates. And he has fulfilled that pledge in one key way, with U.S. government bond yields falling sharply. But the reason for the drop is an unnerving one: Investors appear to be more on edge about the outlook for the economy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent … Read more
The stock market’s shine in the wake of President Trump’s election fully wore off in late February, with the new administration’s early policy priorities and weak consumer sentiment making investors uneasy about the economy. Stocks climbed to new highs in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Trump’s win, as traders geared up for lighter regulation and … Read more
President Trump’s promise during last year’s election to make it far easier to drill for oil and gas thrilled energy executives who believed his policies would lower their costs and help them make a lot more money. Those hopes are now fading. Thanks to Mr. Trump’s tariffs, the oil and gas industry is contending with … Read more
Getting inflation under control since the worst surge in decades has been a bumpy process in recent months. New data on Friday showed only a little progress. The central bank’s preferred inflation measure, released on Friday, climbed 2.5 percent in January from a year earlier, slightly lower than the previous reading of 2.6 percent but … Read more
Fresh off the worst inflation shock in decades, Americans are once again bracing for higher prices. Expectations about future inflation have started to move up, according to metrics closely watched by officials at the Federal Reserve. So far, the data, including a consumer survey from the University of Michigan and market-based measures of investors’ expectations, … Read more
Fresh off the worst inflation shock in decades, Americans are once again bracing for higher prices. Expectations about future inflation have started to move up, according to metrics closely watched by officials at the Federal Reserve. So far, the data, including a consumer survey from the University of Michigan and market-based measures of investors’ expectations, … Read more
As President Trump uses tariffs as a weapon in his quest to even the score on trade with the world, Asia is emerging as target No. 1. And it’s not just because of China. Asia is home to seven countries that run the biggest trade surpluses with the United States, Mr. Trump’s go-to yardstick. It … Read more
President Trump’s keynote this week at a Saudi sovereign wealth fund’s conference in Miami Beach might have seemed like another jubilant pep rally attended by adoring fans and key lieutenants. Elon Musk sat in the front under a vast rotunda, not far from the real estate billionaire Steve Witkoff, now a White House special envoy … Read more
Even by Washington standards, the second Trump presidency has begun in frenetic fashion: mass firings at federal agencies, tariff threats against allies and foes alike, and haggling over how to get a Republican budget through a narrowly divided Congress. Business leaders and corporate investors are confident that things will turn out fine, at least for … Read more
At his inauguration, President Trump said that “the golden age of America begins right now.” He was right, in one sense. The price of gold has been bursting through records in the first month of Mr. Trump’s second term, recently trading at more than $2,900 per troy ounce. It is up about 12 percent already … Read more