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Truckers hope freight recession is finally ending
Virginia truckers eye regulatory rollbacks under Trump and hope a February freight bump signals recovery after the nation’s longest freight recession.
Trump’s tariffs echo Hoover-era economic missteps
Trump's 2025 tariffs trigger market turmoil, drawing comparisons to Hoover's Depression-era policies and warnings from economists and business leaders.
The Latest: As controversies pile up, Trump allies increasingly turn on one another
The infighting and backstabbing that plagued Trump‘s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty. The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top advisers and faces fresh controversy over sharing sensitive information about airstri[...]
Trump renews attack on Federal Reserve Chair Powell
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump repeated his attacks Monday against the chair of the Federal Reserve, demanding that the central bank lower its key interest rate to boost the economy. Trump called Jerome Powell “a major loser” and said that energy and grocery prices are “substantially lower” and “there is virtually No Inflation.” Yet Trump said the […]
Is slight rise in Virginia unemployment ‘calm before storm?’
Virginia’s unemployment rate numbers are on a slight rise, according to data from the state’s Department of Workforce Development and Advancement, also known as Virginia Works. The state agency reports that Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in March rose a tenth of a percentage point to 3.2 % compared to 3.1% in February and 2.8% […]
The Dow sinks nearly 1,000 points
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street weakened Monday as investors worldwide get more skeptical about U.S. investments because of President Donald Trump’s trade war and his criticism of the Federal Reserve, which are shaking the traditional order. The S&P 500 sank 2.4% in another wipeout. That yanked the index that’s at the center of many 401(k) accounts 16% below […]
Will the tariffs lead to a recession? Here’s how to know if we’re in one
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump‘s sharp tariff hikes last week have sent the stock market into a tailspin, raised alarm bells among Wall Street executives, and heightened many economists’ worries that the U.S. could tip into recession. The tariffs, set to take effect Wednesday, include a 10% blanket duty on nearly all countries and additional import taxes on […]
Our View: Trump charts chaotic course in trade wars
Since taking office on Jan. 20 for his second term, President Donald Trump has steered the ship of state full speed on a seemingly chaotic course, mostly navigating an about-face from the Biden administration’s policies and only very occasionally zigzagging away from buffeting winds of public disapproval. In support of making progress on the administration’s […]
How’s your confidence?
Business always has its up and downs. We’ve all been through more than a few. As au courant as the dot-com economy might seem, that bubble floated skyward decades ago, bursting in 2002. It wasn’t just a small dip. Between 1995 and its peak in March 2000, the tech stock-heavy Nasdaq index rose by 800%, […]
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 […]
Crying wolf?
It’s “the most predicted potential recession in memory,” Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin quipped in January, but it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe. During the first half of 2022, surveys of consumers and CEOs showed they were worried about a recession coming on the heels of a 40-year peak in inflation […]
Staying the course
A tanking economy. Rampant inflation. Whiplash in the stock market. What’s an investor to do? Look for opportunities to rebalance portfolios but, in general, hang tight, wealth management professionals say. Or, as one adviser says, buckle up for a roller coaster ride. The economy is likely to worsen, experts say, and despite dickering among economists […]
