Economy

LONDON — Vaccine policy will trump all other economic polices this year as the world tries to recover from the coronavirus crisis, Kristalina Georgieva, the head of the International Monetary Fund said at CNBC’s Global Evolve Summit on Wednesday. “Vaccine policy this year, probably next year, is going to be the most important economic policy,

Producer prices rose at their fastest annual clip in nearly 11 years in May as inflation continued to build in the U.S. economy, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The 6.6% surge was the biggest 12-month rise in the final demand index since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the data point in November 2010.

Residential single family homes construction by KB Home are shown under construction in the community of Valley Center, California, U.S. June 3, 2021. Mike Blake | Reuters Builder sentiment in June fell to its lowest level since August, as construction costs pushed new home prices higher, sidelining buyers and making it harder for some builders

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan encouraged the Federal Reserve to ease up on its ultra-easy monetary policy, saying Monday that the urgency for the pandemic-related response is abating. Speaking a day before the central bank begins its June policy meeting, the head of the second-largest U.S. banks by assets told CNBC that inflation-related issues

American consumers are spending more freely as the economy continues to open up, according to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. Transaction volumes on customers’ credit and debit cards and over the Zelle payment network has grown by 20% so far this year compared to this point in 2019, Moynihan told CNBC’s Becky Quick Monday

Most people want to forget this part of the 1970s. But inflation is back, and investor Peter Boockvar predicts it will be the most widespread in decades. “Monetary policy … is right now impotent in its ability to stimulate economic activity,” the Bleakley Advisory Group chief investment officer told CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Wednesday. Boockvar

Inflation has been warming up this spring, and it’s expected to hit historical levels for the month of May. The consensus forecast for the core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy, is 3.5% on a year-over-year basis, according to Dow Jones. That’s the fastest annual pace in 28 years. Economists expect both core

U.S. dollars are counted by a at a bank in Westminster, Colorado. Rick Wilking | Reuters The net worth of U.S. households climbed to new heights as 2021 began and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic began to fade. Thanks largely to a surge in the stock market, the total balance sheet for households and

Consumer prices for May accelerated at their fastest pace in nearly 13 years as inflation pressures continued to build in the U.S. economy, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The consumer price index, which represents a basket including food, energy, groceries, housing costs and sales across a spectrum of goods, rose 5% from a year ago.

The CMA CGM Marco Polo, an Explorer class container ship crosses under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, to enter New York Harbor as seen from Brooklyn, New York, U.S., May 20, 2021. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Americans’ demand for imports abated in April, easing the U.S. trade deficit from the record level it had hit the month

A real estate agent and a potential home buyer in Coral Gables, Fla. Getty Images Mortgage rates fell slightly last week, but not enough to light a fire under mortgage demand. Total mortgage application volume decreased 3.1% for the week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for

Job openings in April soared to a new record high, with 9.3 million vacancies coming as the economy rapidly recovered from its pandemic depths. The standard set in April was well above the 8.3 million in March that itself was a new series high going back to 2000 for the Labor Departments Job Openings and

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a news conference, after attending the G7 finance ministers meeting, at Winfield House in London, Britain June 5, 2021. Justin Tallis | Rueters U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that President Joe Biden‘s $4 trillion spending proposal would be positive for the country, even if it leads to

Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell listens during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on “The Quarterly CARES Act Report to Congress” on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2020. Susan Walsh | Reuters The Federal Reserve is in the early stages of a campaign to ready markets for reducing its $120 billion in

A help wanted sign is displayed outside of a business before Memorial Day near the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey. Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images The weaker-than-expected April jobs report fueled speculation of U.S. labor shortages and led some state officials to declare an early end to enhanced unemployment benefits.  

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday that climate change is not a main consideration for the central bank when formulating monetary policy. Speaking on a panel of his global colleagues, the head of the U.S. central bank said taking on issues related to global warming

A help wanted sign is posted at a taco stand in Solana Beach, California. Mike Blake | Reuters Hiring improved in May, but 559,000 new jobs aren’t enough to spur the Federal Reserve to begin to talk about tapering back its bond purchases. Friday’s Labor Department report on new payrolls was below the 671,000 expected

May’s job gains were “solid” but not enough to change the direction of monetary policy, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester told CNBC. “Bottom line, I would like to see further progress than where we are right now,” Mester told CNBC’s Steve Liesman during a live “Squawk on the Street” interview Friday. The Labor Department reported