WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday voted to hold its key interest rate steady as policymakers navigate their way through higher-than-expected inflation readings, mixed signs on the labor market – and a war. In a widely expected decision, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 11-1 to keep the benchmark federal funds rate anchored in…
Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. – | Afp | Getty Images Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has stoked fears of the gravest disruption to global oil supply in history, as the Middle East conflict stretches into its third week. The blockade has squeezed shipping traffic…
Visitors (L) dressed in kimonos look at photos they took during a visit to Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of central Tokyo on September 16, 2025. Richard A. Brooks | Afp | Getty Images After living in Tokyo for over a year, Karin Nordin noticed something peculiar. The hot spring towns of Kusatsu and…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that the administration has no plans to intervene in financial markets and may not have the authority to do so even if it wanted. In a CNBC interview, Bessent addressed rumors that the Treasury Department or some other arm of government might step in to try to lower oil…
U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to greet Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base on October 30, 2025 in Busan, South Korea. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump said his planned trip to China later this month could be delayed as Washington sought to pressure Beijing…
A bitcoin comeback may be underway. Just as the cryptocurrency was kicking off its latest winning week, ProShares’ Simeon Hyman was emphasizing a bullish bitcoin trend on CNBC’s “ETF Edge.” “If you look at bitcoin, it’s up a little bit and equities are down [since the Iran war began,]” the firm’s global investment strategist said…
The Trump administration has rolled out a series of measures to attempt to blunt the blow of the Iran-driven oil-price hike, and yet prices remain stubbornly high. As the war rolls on, it is becoming clear there isn’t much the U.S. or any other government can do to provide relief from higher oil prices short…
The Iran war could soon mean higher prices on store shelves for consumers. Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz passage has significantly disrupted the global supply chain, affecting goods from fertilizers to metals to gas and fuel. The passage is a critical point, funneling tens of millions of barrels of oil daily along…
Economic growth was much slower than expected in the final three months of 2025 while core inflation rose to start 2026, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Gross domestic product, a measure of all the goods and services produced across the sprawling U.S. economy, rose at a seasonally and inflation-adjusted annual rate of just 0.7% in…
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reacts during a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on interest rate policy, in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 28, 2026. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters As both energy prices and inflation fears pop, expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts are sliding. Traders…
