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Barkin: Trump policies are creating feelings of instability
Changes in federal government policy have created a sense of instability, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said Thursday when discussing the year’s economic outlook. During a lecture at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, he said that at the end of 2024, businesses were “overwhelmingly optimistic” and conditions looked “rosy.” […]
Stock market today: Wall Street drifts ahead of report on US consumer confidence
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is holding steadier Tuesday after roaring the day before on hopes that President Donald Trump’s tariffs may not be as sweeping as earlier feared. The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in early trading after jumping 1.8% on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 58 points, or 0.1%, as of 9:35 a.m. […]
US consumer confidence tumbles for 4th consecutive month to 12-year low
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence fell for the fourth straight month amid rising concern over tariffs and inflation. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell 7.2 points in March to 92.9. Analysts were expecting a decline to a reading of 94.5, according to a survey by FactSet. The Conference Board’s report Tuesday […]
Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground after shaking off four-week losing streak
Stocks are broadly higher in afternoon trading as Wall Street navigates through uncertainty amid a trade war. The S&P 500 jumped 1.4% Monday. It is coming off its first winning week after a four-week losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1% and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.9%. Wall Street remains focused on how […]
Federal Reserve keeps interest rate unchanged, sees slower growth, slightly higher inflation ahead
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday and signaled that it still expects to cut rates twice this year, though more policymakers forecast fewer cuts. The Fed also now expects the economy to grow more slowly this year and next than it did three months ago, according to a […]
Fed should be cautious amid uncertainty, Barkin says
Although inflation is coming down, the Federal Reserve Bank should exercise caution amid economic and geopolitical uncertainty, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said Tuesday while addressing a Rotary Club of Richmond meeting. The economy is in a good place, Barkin said, citing the 2.5% growth in the nation’s gross domestic […]
Va. economic outlook is positive, says Weldon Cooper Center forecast
Virginia’s long-term economic outlook is positive, according to the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service’s inaugural economic forecast released Monday. Weldon Cooper economists predict Virginia’s gross domestic product in 2025 will increase 2.4%, outpacing national GDP growth. The U.S. GDP’s growth is expected to be 1.9% this year, slower t[...]
US trade war could raise prices, economists say
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau managed to separately negotiate a monthlong pause on Monday with U.S. President Donald J. Trump on a trade war that was scheduled to begin on midnight Tuesday. However, as of late Monday afternoon, the Trump administration was still prepared to impose a 10% tariff on […]
Financial Services: Signs of health
What’s that we hear? Is the economy growing healthier? It’s getting stronger for sure, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said in January during the 2024 Financial Forecast event co-hosted in Richmond by the Virginia Bankers Association and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Inflation was 3.4% in December 2023, inching closer […]
Fed’s Fifth District economy sees mild expansion
Economic activity in the Federal Reserve‘s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) expanded mildly in recent weeks, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book is based on anecdotal information about economic conditions[...]
Low inventory, high interest rates strap Va. housing market
Homebuyers in Virginia are continuing to feel the strain of low inventory and high interest rates. The number of active listings on the market is shrinking, and fewer new listings are coming on the market. Despite a brief uptick in inventory at the beginning the year, about 67% of the state’s counties and cities had […]
Barkin: Raising interest rates is correct course
As inflation remains high and the fallout from recent bank failures seems contained, the Federal Reserve Bank has good reason to continue raising interest rates, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said Thursday in a speech to the Virginia Council of CEOs at the University of Richmond. “It is worth remembering that not […]
