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Key takeaways: The Federal Reserve concluded its September meeting Wednesday by holding interest rates steady, while suggesting that it would likely hike them again one more time in 2023. Most analysts had expected that outcome, but the central bank threw many for a loop with its comments about what the future might hold.  On Wednesday, […]

Key takeaways: The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates again at its late-July meeting, after pausing in June. With ratesnow at their highest in more than two decades, the Fed says anything goes when they meet in thefuture. Besides the obvious – it’s more expensive to borrow money – what does this all mean forconsumers? Your […]

Key takeaways The Federal Reserve ended its June meeting by declining to raise interest rates, but strongly suggesting that it intends to resume rate hikes, with the possibility of two coming later this year. In fact, most members of the central bank now think rates will have to go even higher than they had anticipated. […]

Key takeaways:  You have a budget, you have a job, and you have good intentions, but sometimes, life happens, and you struggle to make your mortgage payments. If you’re in that boat now and wondering how you’re going to keep up with your mortgage payments, don’t panic. There are options. The first thing to do […]

Key takeaways: The Federal Reserve (Fed) raised interest rates again at its May meeting, but signaled it was done with rate hikes for a while, even as investors increasingly expect the central bank to reverse course and start cutting later this year. When the Fed first started raising rates in 2022, inflation and the economy were overheated. […]

Key takeaways: If you’re a homeowner, you probably know all too well that the housing market has softened – a lot. Home prices have even slipped, according to a few measurements. And they might fall even further. That’s probably not what you want to hear, but there are some steps you can take now to protect […]

Key takeaways: In late March, the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates, the ninth time it has raised borrowing costs since early 2022. But those rate increases may soon end, and there’s a strong possibility the Fed may start to cut rates instead. Here’s a closer look at what’s going on.  Since the start of the year, […]

Key takeaways If you have no idea what’s going on in the economy, you’re not alone. The “experts” whose job it is to forecast economic trends are also uncertain. In one recent survey, for example, the well-regarded National Association of Business Economists (NABE) said its members hold “a variety of opinions on the fate of the economy […]

Key takeaways: When the Federal Reserve (Fed) concluded its first meeting of 2023 on Feb. 1, it also announced another interest rate increase — the eighth since early 2022.  You’re probably aware that finance professionals, as well as many ordinary Americans, don’t like rate hikes. Higher borrowing costs make things more expensive, which is why […]

Key takeaways “It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future,” Yogi Berra once said. In fact, it may feel impossible to make big financial decisions when so many factors are constantly in flux, from interest rates to inflation. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up several housing market forecasts to help you plan the […]

Key takeaways: If you’ve read anything about financial markets or the economy in recent months, you probably know that the Federal Reserve – the central bank of the United States – has been raising interest rates, and it’s causing all kinds of disruptions in everything from mortgages to jobs. But there are a lot of […]

Key takeaways: The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it would raise interest rates half a percent, or 50 basis points. It’s the seventh time this year that the Fed has hiked rates, and the central bank is likely not done yet. But even though rate rises make it more expensive to borrow for things like […]