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Treasury yields traded slightly lower on Wednesday as the Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes showed officials were ready to hold interest rates steady until further improvement on inflation.The 10-year Treasury yield dipped less than 1 basis point to 4.535%, while the 2-year Treasury yield pulled back 2.3 down 3 basis points at 4.274%.One basis point is equivalent to 0.01%, and yields and prices move in opposite directions.Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s most recent policy meeting showed that central bank officials agreed they would need to see inflation come down more before lowering interest rates further. They also expressed concern about the impact…

Michael RaceBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesUK inflation jumped sharply in the year to January, driven by rising food prices, air fares and an increase in private school fees.The higher-than-expected jump to 3% from 2.5% in December, means prices rose at the fastest pace for 10 months.Food staples such as meat, eggs, butter and cereals were all more expensive than a year ago and comes as many households prepare for higher energy and water bills later this year. Following the latest figures, the government warned that the road back to low inflation would be “bumpy”, but the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats…

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell in New York City on Feb. 12, 2025. Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty ImagesStock market investors enjoyed lofty annual returns over the past two years. However, 2025 may not offer a “three-peat,” investment analysts say.The S&P 500 stock market index yielded a 23% return for investors in 2024 and 24% in 2023. Those returns were 25% and 26%, respectively, with dividends.Three consecutive years of total returns of more than 20% for U.S. stocks is a historical rarity. It has only happened once — in the late…

Domestic energy prices are forecast to rise by 5% from April, adding £85 a year to household bills, according to consultancy Cornwall Insight.The forecaster, which is widely regarded for its accurate predictions, said a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity would pay £1,823 a year.The figures emerged as Energy Secretary Ed Miliband wrote an urgent letter to Ofgem, the regulator which sets the price cap, asking it to move quickly to protect consumers.The predicted higher prices will take effect at the same time as increases to water and council tax bills in April.However, minimum wage levels will…

U.S. Treasury yields were higher Tuesday after a day’s holiday, as investors looked toward the Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes later this week and digested a bond sell-off in Europe.The 10-year Treasury yield gained 8 basis points at 4.556%, while the 2-year Treasury yield advanced more than 4 basis points at 4.308%. One basis point is equivalent to 0.01%, and yields share an inverse relationship with prices.The move higher comes after European bond yields increased significantly Monday on expectations that countries across the region will hike their defense spending.Investors will also be watching the Fed meeting minutes, slated for release…

Average wages are continuing to outpace inflation with pay packets rising for both the public and private sector workers, official figures show.Pay, after taking into account the pace of price rises, rose 3.4% between October and December compared with the same period a year ago, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).The UK’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.4%, although the ONS has advised that its jobs figures should be treated with caution because of low response rates to its employment survey. The figures follow warnings from businesses that they are planning to cut workforces and raise prices ahead…

Karen HogganBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesCompanies are planning to cut jobs or recruit fewer people ahead of rises to National Insurance payments and wages, according to a survey of UK employers.Businesses questioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) also said they would raise their prices to cover increasing employment costs.Separate research conducted by the Federation of Small Business found that in the final three months of last year confidence among small firms hit its lowest point for 10 years, not including the Covid pandemic.The Treasury said it was delivering the stability businesses need to invest and grow.…

Elon Musk listens to U.S. President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Feb. 11, 2025. Kevin Lamarque | ReutersPresident Donald Trump’s moves to fire thousands of federal government workers have coincided with a surge in jobless claims in Washington, D.C., that could get worse as the efforts intensify.Since Trump has taken office, nearly 4,000 workers in the city have filed for unemployment insurance as part of a surge that began at the start of the new year, according to Labor Department figures not adjusted for seasonal factors.In all, just shy of 7,000…

A customer at a food market in Palma, Mallorca, Spain.Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAs economists ring alarm bells over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariff policy on consumers and the U.S. economy, there’s a group of Americans who may benefit: tourists traveling abroad.That’s due to the impact of tariffs on the U.S. dollar and other global currencies. Economists expect tariffs imposed on foreign imports to strengthen the U.S. dollar and potentially weaken major currencies like the euro.In such a case, travelers would have more buying power overseas in 2025, economists said. Their dollar would stretch further on purchases like…

Consumers sharply curtailed their spending in January, indicating a potential weakening in economic growth ahead, according to a Commerce Department report Friday.Retail sales slipped 0.9% for the month from an upwardly revised 0.7% gain in December, even worse than the Dow Jones estimate for a 0.2% decline. The sales totals are adjusted for seasonality but not inflation for a month, in which prices rose 0.5%.Excluding autos, prices fell 0.4%, also well off the consensus forecast for a 0.3% increase. A “control” measure that strips out several nonessential categories and figures directly into calculations for gross domestic product fell 0.8% after…