#interest rates

#interest rates

The European Central Bank (ECB) held its key interest rates unchanged following the February meeting of the Governing Council, in line with Cebr projections. This marks the fifth consecutive hold, despite a below-target inflation reading of 1.7% in January, the lowest level since 2021. The decision to hold rates also comes despite a recent Euro rally against the dollar, which is expected to add disinflationary pressure through cheaper imports and weigh on growth by making the bloc's exports more expensive.

The Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHA) has delivered a 5.5% return YTD, tracking the broader small-cap market's trajectory. The fund's defining advantage is cost efficiency, at a scant 0.04% annual expense ratio ranks among the lowest in the small-cap category, allowing investors to compound returns without significant fee drag eating into performance over time. Recent coverage has been mixed. MSN positioned SCHA as an "attractive option" given its low costs and past performance.

It has been trading sideways since 2023 due to a variety of issues. Namely, interest rates have been too high, and this hasn't given REITs the room to recover. Remember, REITs are businesses with high debt loads and high interest rates, which puts disproportionate pressure on them. However, these REITs have been able to avert the worst. They've drawn lessons from 2008, and most of them have paid growing dividends in the past couple of years and have even expanded them.

Dutta tells Axios: "I don't think people should change their investment plans around Warsh. The Fed is bigger than any one person. At the margin, Warsh represents a bit of uncertainty." One concern is that Warsh will cut interest rates now to appease Trump even if lower rates aren't warranted, which could result in the need for increases later on.

Having ticked up over the past three weeks, the average rate for a benchmark 30-year mortgage has dropped to 3.43 percent, which is down 5 basis points over the past week and within 12 basis points of the all-time low rate of 3.31 percent recorded in November 2012.

Bitcoin hovered near $89,000 on Wednesday as the Federal Reserve opted to hold interest rates steady, pausing its rate-cutting cycle and striking a notably calmer tone on inflation and the labor market. The bitcoin price traded above $90,000 earlier in the session before slipping to around $89,500 as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell spoke at his post-meeting press conference. The move came after the Fed announced it would keep its benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%,

"Gold heads for best week since 2008" is not exactly a headline that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but such is the present state of the American economy. Silver is running hard too, rocketing above $100 an ounce for the first time ever this week. We are in a brave new world where the rules of the old one no longer apply, and the Illuminati on Wall Street have spent the last year realizing this.

has shown that the stock has the ability to defy gravity, even though the underlying business may not be humming like it used to. Shareholders refuse to budge and are willing to back up the truck as long as Elon Musk has promises to make. It has so far proved all the bears wrong and has climbed well above its 2021 peak. Sales growth has slowed down considerably, and profits are in reverse.

Well, Maria, Jerome Too Late, Powell' he's the one that's made this political, Marshall replied, using Trump's nickname for Powell. He continued: You go back to the last presidential election, right before the election, he drops the interest rates. Do we even need a new federal building? It was budgeted under $2 billion. It's $2.5 billion. I think this president's sending a message to everybody that we're going to be looking out for fraud, waste, and abuse.