Author: starbpo

Kevin Warsh, the former governor of the Federal Reserve, is a candidate to be the next Fed chair. He is pictured here with billionaire businessman Bom Kim at the 2023 Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference in Idaho. Just a few weeks ago, the contest to become the next chair of the Federal Reserve seemed to be virtually over, but it is now once again appearing to be a serious contest. Early in December, Kevin Hassett, a senior economist in the Trump administration, was the obvious front-runner; however, in recent times, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh has resurfaced as a…

On Monday, President Donald Trump discussed shipbuilding while visiting Virginia’s Naval Station Norfolk to commemorate the Navy’s 250th anniversary on October 5. Huntington Ingalls Industries’ stock rose substantially on Monday, continuing Friday’s spike after the U.S. Navy said it had chosen the company to design and construct a new generation of small warships. The improvements on Monday coincided with President Donald Trump’s announcement that he had approved a proposal for the U.S. Navy to build new “Trump-class” warships that would be the flagships of the country’s naval fleet. Trump chastised the top defense contractors on Monday for their “too slow”…

On Friday, President Donald Trump speaks to the country from the White House’s Diplomatic Room. During a prime-time address to the country on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump announced a “warrior dividend” for U.S. armed veterans, launching a new initiative to provide payments to Americans who are concerned about the high cost of living. “In honor of our nation’s founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1,776,” Trump declared during the nationally broadcast speech, which was touted as both a look back at his accomplishments from the previous year and a look ahead at his goals for 2026. “The…

A proposal to reschedule cannabis in the United States was approved by President Donald Trump. Although shares of American and Canadian cannabis companies fell on the news, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday requesting that the U.S. government reschedule cannabis. This is the most major federal change on the drug in decades. According to Trump administration officials, the action, which does not legalize marijuana and has no set date, is meant to facilitate study into possible medical applications. In the meanwhile, industry leaders said that the reclassification will reduce tax costs that have stifled revenues by placing…

A career expo in Harlem is attended by job seekers. Since President Donald Trump succeeded Joe Biden about a year ago, the U.S. economy has seen many changes, but one thing has remained constant: the low number of layoffs. Simply put, businesses aren’t firing many employees. In the seven days ending December 20, the number of people applying for unemployment benefits, or initial jobless claims, decreased by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 214,000, the government reported on Wednesday. Because of the Christmas break, the report was released one day early. To what extent is that low? In a typical economy,…

Why do Americans look so depressed while the economy appears to be doing so well? The economy expanded at its quickest rate in two years in the third quarter of 2025, yet year-end surveys of Americans reveal that they are anxious and dissatisfied. What caused the disconnect? If you pay attention to what Americans are saying, blame politicians, inflation, and tariffs. A consumer confidence survey in December reached an eight-month low and hovered around the lowest point since the outbreak. Another widely watched consumer sentiment survey ended 2025 close to a record low. Meanwhile, according to a recent estimate, the…

Despite everything being hurled at the economy in 2025—punishing tariffs, increased inflation, and rising unemployment—the United States may still be growing faster than usual, which is a sign of unexpected fortitude. When the report is released on Tuesday, the official economic scorecard, the gross domestic product, is expected to expand by 3.2% annually in the third quarter. The government shutdown caused a two-month delay in the GDP report. In the second quarter, the U.S. expanded at a bubbly 3.8% rate as well. The U.S. can only grow 1.8% annually under perfect circumstances, according to the majority of Wall Street SPX…

For its primary electric vehicle business, Tesla has had a difficult year. In 2026, that is anticipated to continue, but analysts see a few opportunities for improvement. As the electric vehicle company doubles down on artificial intelligence and automation, investors are expecting even greater things from Tesla in 2025, which is coming to a close on a high note. The stock (TSLA) has recovered despite a difficult start to the year as CEO Elon Musk courted controversy at every turn. It closed Monday at $488.73 after hitting a record intraday high of $498.83. Through Wednesday, shares had risen 20.2% in…

During his third straight campaign for president, Donald Trump made a lot of expensive promises. He said he would extend the tax cuts from 2017 and add new breaks for people who work extra, get tips, get Social Security, and have big state and local tax bills. Republicans are very upset about the promise to raise the limit on the state-and-local-tax deduction (SALT deduction). This is because reducing the SALT deduction was one of the main ways that lower corporate and individual income-tax rates were paid for in 2017. But starting in 2025, Republicans will only have a one-vote majority…

As businesses hoped for a Trump White House that would be good for business, a big part of the U.S. economy grew at the fastest rate in more than three years. S&P said Monday that the S&P flash U.S. services PMI jumped from 56.1 in November to a very high 58.5 in December. This is the best book in 38 months. Any number above 50 means the economy is growing, and any number above 55 is very high. The economy is dominated by service companies like stores, banks, and home care agencies. These companies hire most Americans. On the other…