Category: Economy

A "Now Hiring" sign at a Cookout fast-food restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, Nov. 25, 2025.Al Drago | Getty ImagesThe U.S. labor market likely showed modest improvement in December, providing some encouragement for the year ahead but nothing to get too excited about.Nonfarm payrolls likely rose by 73,000 last month...

Labor market weakness, uncertainty about inflation and political pressure will push the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates aggressively in the early part of 2026, according to Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics.Though markets and Fed officials themselves see only modest easing in the year ahead, Zandi expects the...

Thursday saw the release of a much lighter-than-expected consumer price report for November, breaking from the recent trend of sticky inflation.Stocks jumped. Yields fell. Odds of a Federal Reserve rate increased.And many economists scratched their heads.The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the consumer price index had an annual inflation...

In the Federal Reserve's battle between fighting inflation and limiting unemployment, the latter side carried the day Wednesday and could also have an edge heading into 2026 if labor market weakness becomes more evident through an apparent overcounting of jobs numbers.In the immediate term, worries over the employment situation meant...

Consumers are still dining out, but instead of higher-priced entrees, many are ordering more appetizers. As food inflation and affordability dominates the conversation about the U.S. consumer, new restaurant purchasing data shows even among Americans who are going to restaurants, many are in the mindset of cutting back."Appetizer orders are...