Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic told CNBC on Monday that he’s comfortable with the central bank’s ultra-loose policy even as inflation gains steam in the U.S. economy. “We are still 8 million jobs short of where we were pre-pandemic,” Bostic told CNBC’s Steve Liesman during a “Squawk Box” interview. “Until we make substantial progress
Economy
Contractors work on single-family homes under construction in the Cadence Park development of The Great Park Neighborhoods in Irvine, California, on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images Strong buyer demand is keeping homebuilders confident, but the risk of rising construction material costs continues to weigh on housing affordability. Builder sentiment
Akapong Osotsil / EyeEm | EyeEm | Getty Images Consumer debt edged higher during the first three months of 2021, due primarily to a jump in mortgages and auto loans, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday. Total household debt balances rose by $85 billion in the first quarter, a 0.6% increase that brought the total level
Wall Street pioneer Thomas Peterffy told CNBC on Wednesday he was concerned about the prospect of damaging inflation in the U.S., leaning on his personal experiences as a youth in Hungary after World War II. The billionaire Interactive Brokers founder and chairman made his comments on “Squawk Box” shortly after April’s hotter-than-expected Consumer Price Index
A woman wears a face mask while shopping for a baby shower gift during the Covid-19 pandemic, at Madison’s Niche boutique in Huntington, New York on April 21, 2021. Alejandra Villa Loarca | Newsday | Getty Images There is probably less than meets the eye from the startling inflation pop in April, as goods impacted
A worker on an auto assembly line in Smyrna, Tennessee. Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg/Getty Images The concentration of price pressures in a handful of categories means markets shouldn’t yet be worrying about inflation after Wednesday’s U.S. surprise, economists have told CNBC. The U.S. Consumer Price Index for April rose 4.2% from the same period last year, its
Workers assemble a three-wheeled electric fun utility vehicle (FUV) at the Arcimoto manufacturing facility in Eugene, Oregon, April 19, 2021. Alisha Jucevic | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.S. producer prices data for April is set to be released at 8:30 am ET Thursday. The Producer Prices Index comes into focus after Wednesday’s consumer prices report
A Walmart worker organizes products for Christmas season at a Walmart store in Teterboro, New Jersey. Eduardo Munoz | Reuters A little inflation might not be such a bad thing, after all. With the Labor Department’s inflation report Wednesday spooking stock markets, and traders blaming rising prices for a broad sell-off in technology shares, attention
Traders look on as a screen shows Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s news conference after the U.S. Federal Reserve interest rates announcement on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., July 31, 2019. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Red-hot consumer inflation data for April spooked markets and raised concerns that
A help wanted sign is displayed in the window of a Brooklyn business in New York. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Job openings popped to a record high in March as employers struggled to find workers to fill those positions, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. Even as help wanted jumped from February by 597,000, or
In this article TSLA A worker operates a forklift to move bundles of Hampton lumber for a shipment order at Burton Lumber in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, May 6, 2021. George Frey | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. economy is trying to restart its engine after tumbling into its deepest recession in
US President Joe Biden speak about the Covid-19 response and the vaccination program in the State Dining Room of the White House on May 4, 2021. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden on Monday urged U.S. companies to boost pay for workers as he outlined the steps his administration is taking
View of the Prohibition Taproom in Philadelphia. Owner Michael Pasquarello, who owns two other establishments in the city, is optimistic about the future despite issues that plague the industry. Source: Google Earth Like many in his field, restaurateur Michael Pasquarello is grateful to have survived the damage the pandemic did to his business, and is
People walk past the U.S. Federal Reserve building in Washington D.C., the United States, May 21, 2020. Ting Shen | Xinhua via Getty Images Rising asset prices in the stock market and elsewhere are posing increasing threats to the financial system, the Federal Reserve warned in a report Thursday. In its semiannual Financial Stability Report,
Containers sit at the Yangshan Port in Shanghai, China, Aug. 6, 2019. Aly Song | Reuters BEIJING — China’s exports surged more than expected in April as global demand for Chinese goods remained elevated amid countries’ varying stages of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. dollar-denominated exports rose 32.3% in April from a year ago,
Hiring was a huge letdown in April, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by a much less than expected 266,000 and the unemployment rate rose to 6.1% amid an escalating shortage of available workers. Dow Jones estimates had been for 1 million new jobs and an unemployment rate of 5.8%. Many economists had been expecting an even
Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards An anemic pace of hiring in all sectors barring leisure and hospitality caused the Labor Department’s April jobs report to fall well short of Wall Street’s lofty expectations even amid the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and an easing of pandemic-era lockdowns. CNBC studied the net changes by industry for April jobs
A help wanted sign is posted at a taco stand in Solana Beach, California. Mike Blake | Reuters The largest business lobbying group in America on Friday blamed a $300-per-week federal jobless benefit for enticing Americans to stay at home and April’s far-weaker-than-expected jobs report. “The disappointing jobs report makes it clear that paying people