WSJ Economy

Groceries and restaurant meals had large price increases over the month, while gasoline costs and used-car prices declined.

Sales edged down to 737,000 in October last year, from 738,000 in September, but up from a downwardly revised 711,000 in August.

The global economy was set to grow more rapidly than previously expected, but is nonetheless on course for its weakest decade in half a century, according to the bank’s economists.

The statement from the European Central Bank and others is an unprecedented step that underlines how seriously they view the threat to the Fed’s independence.

Small-business confidence in the U.S. rose in December, driven by a jump in those expecting better business conditions going forward.

The eurozone’s saving rate fell in the third quarter of last year, helping support the economy as spending modestly recovered.

U.K. house prices are expected to rise in 2026, with Scotland and Northern England showing the strongest growth and sales prospects, according to real-estate website Zoopla.

They are concerned that the DOJ’s criminal investigation could imperil the president’s nominees in the Senate and rattle markets.

New York Fed President John Williams said that interest rates are in a comfortable place, hinting that he and other U.S. central bankers may not be in a rush to bring interest rates lower this month.

The ECB is very unlikely to raise its key interest rate this year, with a weaker dollar among a number of potential developments keeping eurozone inflation low, Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said.

After receiving grand jury subpoenas, the Fed chair spent the weekend deciding how to respond. By Sunday, he had his answer.

Powell said the criminal probe is part of President Trump’s campaign to pressure the Fed to lower interest rates.

The investigation reflects the lengths to which the president will go to control the central bank.

Slower-moving indicators have widely been considered the most reliable data for home buyers and sellers.

Proposals unveiled this past week aim to give home buyers more purchasing power but don’t address the housing shortage at the root of the affordability crisis.

Hiring sputtered. The unemployment rate rose. 2025 put a decisive end to the hottest job market in a generation.

Job hunts are getting desperate for Americans who find themselves locked out of stable, full-time work in a stagnant job market.

The move after the 2008 housing crash to buy and rent out single-family homes is coming under fire.

The social-media post showed job-creation totals that indirectly revealed information from December’s Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

American employers added a seasonally adjusted 50,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, the Labor Department reported.