Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet’s investment vehicle, sold 40.6 million shares of financial services firm Citi in the final quarter of 2024, newly published securities filings show.
Category: TRENDS ON THE U.S. ECONOMIC FRONT – Feb 18 2025
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WHICH PRICES WILL BE HIGHER, AND HOW MUCH, UNDER TRUMP’S CHINA TARIFFS?
Now that Donald Trump has laid a 10-percent tariff on everything coming into the U.S. from China—and could raise the import tax higher if he wishes—everything from smartphones and microwave ovens to shoes and cosmetics could cost U.S. consumers more.
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TRUMP FLIP FLOPS ON INTEREST RATES AGAIN
During his presidential campaign and after taking office, Donald Trump said interest rates must come down “immediately.”
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CORPORATIONS SEE LOWER PROFITS AHEAD
After an upbeat earnings season, corporations foresee a less sunny future.
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APARTMENT SHORTAGE IS PUSHING RENTS HIGHER
Apartment rents, which fell during the post-COVID apartment building boom, are poised to rise again.
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U.S. CREDIT CARD DEBT TOPS $1 TRILLION
Americans now have a record $1.21-trillion balance on their credit cards, according to the new quarterly report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
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INFLATION TICKED UP IN JANUARY, SURPRISING ECONOMISTS
A rise in energy and food prices accelerated U.S. inflation unexpectedly last month, up 0.5 percent from December and pushing the rate to 3.0 percent, compared to 2.9 percent the month before, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
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PRODUCER PRICES ROSE IN JANUARY, SIGNALING HIGHER RETAIL PRICES AHEAD
Producer prices—the wholesale prices factories and service companies charge for their wares—rose 0.4 percent in January from December, compared to the 0.3 percent forecast economists had made in a Dow Jones poll.
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U.S. RETAIL SALES DROP MOST IN TWO YEARS
Last month, U.S. consumers spent 0.9 percent less than in December, the commerce department reported, the largest one-month drop since March 2023.
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OOPS! “TRUMP TRADES” FLOP AS DOLLAR WEAKENS, BOND YIELDS FALL
“Trump trades”—bets that the dollar would continue to strengthen and bond yields rise—that were popular after Donald Trump’s re-election to the presidency have taken a bearish turn.