U.S. stock indexes surged on Wednesday afternoon following an announcement from President Donald Trump that he’ll pause reciprocal tariffs for most countries except for China. The S&P 500 soared 9.5 percent on Wednesday. The index is still lower than it was when Trump announced his sweeping set of tariffs last week. The Dow Jones Industrial
Monetary policymakers will be assessing the ‘net effect’ of the administration’s policy changes, including tariffs. Federal Reserve officials fear that elevated inflation could be more persistent than expected, a summary of its March policy meeting reveals. “With regard to the outlook for inflation, participants judged that inflation was likely to be boosted this year by
Economists are also calling for calm regarding the fallout of the tariffs. News Analysis A sharp focus of the Trump administration’s recent trade salvo has been tackling what it calls “non-tariff barriers”—bureaucratic hurdles that obstruct U.S. exports without the use of direct duties. In an assertive move to push back against what the White House
‘Global and domestic actions are generating insecurities in abundance, both political and economic,’ the NFIB wrote in a commentary. Confidence among America’s small businesses fell in March, as more owners anticipated worsening economic conditions and a decline in real sales, according to a new report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the country’s
Last month, the United States added 228,000 jobs, beating expectations by a big margin. A Conference Board indicator of future employment shifts in the United States went up in March, signaling potential growth in jobs over the coming months, according to latest data. The Board’s Employment Trends Index (ETI), which forecasts likely changes in the
The company posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings. Delta Air Lines Inc.’s shares were up nearly 10 percent in early trading on April 9, after the Atlanta-based carrier reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and paused its yearly profit and sales outlook. Despite the current “slow-growth environment” due to global trade uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariff policy, Delta CEO Ed
Bessent did not provide details on what the Trump administration may do. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday warned other countries not to align themselves with China on trade as it engaged in tit-for-tat tariffs on the United States. Bessent delivered the warning at the American Bankers Association in Washington, saying that seeking closer ties
Europe must make radical policy changes, failing which, more than $100 billion in funding for pharmaceutical research, development, and manufacturing could move to the United States, warned the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). A survey of 18 EFPIA member companies conducted last week found that up to 85 percent of capital expenditure
The airline said it would hold off on forecasting full-year performance due to weaker travel demand and uncertainty around global trade. Delta Air Lines announced on April 9 that it is withdrawing its financial forecast for 2025 and will reduce its planned capacity growth for the second half of the year, citing weaker demand and
The increase came while mortgage rates remained elevated above the 6.5 percent level. More mortgage funds were made available in the housing market last month than in the previous month, with refinance programs driving the growth, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The Mortgage Credit Availability Index, which measures the supply of mortgage credit