Monthly Archives: March 2014

[03/19/14]  The Federal Reserve will probably end its massive bond-buying program this coming fall, and could start to raise interest rates around six months later, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said on Wednesday. That's a somewhat more aggressive path toward higher rates than some investors had anticipated, and both U.S. stocks and bonds slumped. Futures traders now are pricing in a first rate hike as soon as April 2015. "She certainly moved (the timetable) up a little bit and I don't think the market was expecting that at all because she is widely viewed as being more on the dovish side of the aisle than she is on the...

[03/13/14]  The first signs of an improving economy and better weather are here, as the US retail sales advanced by 0.3 percent in February against economists’ expectations of 0.2 percent, according to statistics reported by the Commerce Department in Washington on Thursday. The 0.2 percent median forecast had been of 84 economists that had been surveyed by Bloomberg. A similar survey led by Reuters had proven the same expectations. The positive retail sales indication is a huge jump from the 0.6 drop in January, with nine out of 13 major categories showing increases. Harsh weathers with bitter cold and snow during December 2013 and January 2014 had impacted economic activity...

[03/07/14]  Flat U.S. trade in January offered the latest sign the economy is struggling to fire on all cylinders, as consumers at home and abroad spend cautiously. The U.S. trade deficit widened 0.3% to a seasonally adjusted $39.1 billion in January from a month earlier, the Commerce Department said Friday. Exports climbed 0.6% to $192.5 billion. Imports rose 0.6% to $231.6 billion. The report reflects soft demand abroad for American products and services as growth cools in major economies, such as China, and Europe continues to grapple with high unemployment. Meanwhile, American consumers have reined in spending during the winter, leading to fewer imports of goods such as...

[03/07/14]  U.S. employers stepped up hiring in February despite a blast of harsh winter weather, renewing hopes that the economy could accelerate this year. February's gain of 175,000 jobs, up from January's 129,000, coincided with a rise in the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent from a five-year low of 6.6 percent. The rate rose because more people began seeking jobs but some didn't find them. That's still an encouraging sign: More job hunters suggest that people grew more optimistic about their prospects. Friday's figures from the Labor Department were a welcome surprise after recent reports showed that harsh weather had closed factories, lowered auto sales and slowed home...