Americans Are Suddenly Upbeat About Economy. Sentiment Just Logged Its Biggest Jump in Decades.

The University of Michigan's gauge posts the largest two-month gain since 1991. 


 
Home Sales Were the Lowest in Almost 30 Years in 2023

High mortgage rates and prices made home-buying prohibitively expensive for many people last year. 


 
Goolsbee says it's too soon to determine when Fed will cut interest rates

Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee on Friday declined to say when he thinks the central bank will cut interest rates, but he said reductions could be expected this year "if we continue to make surprising progress on inflation." 


 
U.S. stocks climb with S&P 500 on track for record close

U.S. stocks pushed higher on Friday, putting the S&P 500 within the range of what would be its first record closing high in two years, FactSet data show. 


 
An Unusual Alliance Pushes Back on Fed's Bank Capital Plan

Some civil-rights groups and Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the proposal. 


 
Canada Retail Sales Fall 0.2% in November

Retail sales rose 0.8% in December after sales in November retreated 0.2% to a seasonally adjusted 66.61 billion Canadian dollars, the equivalent of about $49.38 billion. 


 
U.K. Shoppers Bring Little Christmas Cheer as Sales Plunge

Retail sales fell 3.2% in December, a much sharper drop than expected, and offering little help to a listless U.K. economy at the end of the year. 


 
China Has a New Youth Jobless Rate. Some Economists Are Ignoring It.

The country released a lower number based on a new methodology that has some scratching their heads. 


 
A Hot Debt Market Is Slashing Borrowing Costs for Riskier Companies

Companies with low credit ratings are rushing to reduce their borrowing costs even before the Federal Reserve makes a single interest-rate cut. 


 
Trump and Biden Both Hate Pharma-Investors Shouldn't

The drug sector just had one of its worst years ever relative to the S&P 500 and now faces political attacks, but investors should focus on the value.


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

01-19-24 1315ET