Economy & The Fed
Federal Reserve decisions, inflation data, interest rates, GDP, employment reports, recession indicators, and the broader economic picture.
Latest in Economy & The Fed
A hotter-than-expected August jobs report makes a September Federal Reserve rate cut less likely, keeping the best CDs near 4.6%
The U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in August, blowing past Wall Street’s forecast of about 53,000 and marking the strongest monthly gain since March, the...
The July jobs report showed the economy shed 23,000 jobs, with prior months revised down 103,000
The U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, and the government simultaneously erased another 103,000 jobs it had already counted for May and June, the...
The Federal Reserve meets September 15 as forecasters split on holding or hiking, keeping savings and CD rates in flux
The Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting, set for Sept. 15-16, has forecasters split between holding interest rates steady and raising them further — not between...
A federal revision erased 178,000 jobs, revealing a weaker labor market
The labor market was weaker over the past year than the government’s monthly reports showed, according to a preliminary revision the Bureau of Labor Statistics...
Wall Street is now leaning toward a Federal Reserve rate hike in September, and top CDs still pay close to 4%
Traders who spent the summer betting the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates have reversed course, and the futures market is now pricing in the...
The Fed meets in mid-September, and top CDs still pay close to 4%
Savers watching their cash accounts have a date to note: the Federal Reserve’s rate-setting committee meets September 15 and 16, its next scheduled decision on...
A CD near 4% locks in a return before the Fed’s expected rate cut
Certificates of deposit at the most competitive banks have recently carried yields near 4%, and that window may be narrowing. The Federal Reserve’s next policy...
With the Fed’s September decision near, locking a CD around 4% now can guard against a cut
Savers who have enjoyed the best deposit yields in years are facing a narrowing window. The Federal Reserve meets again in mid-September, and financial markets...
The Fed’s next move could be a hike, not a cut, so locking a CD near 4% may pay off before September 16
The Federal Reserve has held its benchmark interest rate at a range of 3.50% to 3.75% for all of 2026, and with price pressures still...
The Fed is now more likely to raise rates than cut them next month, so locking a CD near 4.5% looks smart
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark rate unchanged at a range of 3.50 to 3.75 percent at the end of July, but the debate inside...
The Fed is holding rates, and the best CDs still pay close to 4% with no cut in sight
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark rate unchanged at a range of 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent at its late-July meeting, and for savers that...
Fed researchers find tariffs lift prices 1%–2% and cut spending 4%
A Federal Reserve research paper finds that households did more than pay a tariff-related premium: they also changed what they bought and how much they...
The economy grew just 1.5% last quarter while prices stayed high, squeezing fixed incomes
The U.S. economy expanded at just a 1.5% annual rate in the second quarter of 2026, a marked step down from the 2.1% pace recorded...
The Federal Reserve held interest rates for a fifth straight time, keeping top savings and CD yields near 4.5%
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on July 29, holding the target range at 3.50% to 3.75% for a fifth consecutive meeting...
A five-year CD now pays as much as 6.25%, before the Fed cuts rates.
Savers hunting for yield have a narrow window to lock in five-year certificate-of-deposit rates as high as 6.25 percent, a level that sits far above...
Inflation cooled to 3.5% in June as oil prices fell
American consumers got a break at the gas pump in June, and it showed up in the national inflation numbers. The 12-month Consumer Price Index...
The Federal Reserve meets July 28 and 29, and with a rate cut unlikely, savers can still lock in CDs paying close to 4.9%
Savers holding cash in short-term accounts still have a narrow window to lock in 12-month certificate of deposit rates near 4.9 percent, even as the...
Top CDs still pay up to 4.94%, and the Fed could actually raise rates at its July 29 meeting
Depositors hunting for the best certificate-of-deposit yields can still find annual percentage yields as high as 4.94 percent at select banks, even though the Federal...
Treasury inflation-protected securities raise their principal as prices climb, so the payout keeps pace
Investors holding Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities receive interest payments that rise and fall with consumer prices, but the inflation data driving those adjustments arrives on a...
The Fed left interest rates at 3.5% to 3.75%, and 9 of its 17 officials now expect a hike this year rather than a cut
Nine of the Federal Reserve’s 17 officials now project at least one interest rate increase before the end of 2026, a sharp turn from earlier...