Why the Fed’s rate cut won’t immediately help car buyers or sales

Why the Fed’s rate cut won’t immediately help car buyers or sales

Alex Tovstanovsky, owner of used-car dealer Prestige Motor Works, checks on inventory with his general manager Ryan Caton in Naperville, Illinois, May 28, 2020. Nick Carey | Reuters DETROIT — The Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates for the first time in more than four years is expected to eventually boost new vehicle sales, … Read more

Factors to consider before refinancing a loan, according to experts

Factors to consider before refinancing a loan, according to experts

Moyo Studio | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve announced a half percentage point, or 50 basis points, interest rate cut at the end of its two-day meeting Wednesday. And, naturally, some Americans will want to make the most of the central bank’s first rate cut since the early days of the Covid pandemic. … Read more

Money moves to consider ahead of a Fed rate cut

Money moves to consider ahead of a Fed rate cut

The Federal Reserve could start lowering interest rates as soon as next month, based on the latest inflation data. “We think that the time is approaching,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a press conference after the last Federal Open Market Committee meeting in July. For Americans struggling to keep up with sky-high interest charges, a likely September rate cut may bring some … Read more

What that means for you

What that means for you

Customer shopping for school supplies with employee restocking shelves, Target store, Queens, New York. Lindsey Nicholson | UCG | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Now, as the central bank sets the stage to lower interest rates for the first time in years when it meets again in September, consumers may see their borrowing costs … Read more

Gen X has the most non-mortgage debt, millennials are close behind

Gen X has the most non-mortgage debt, millennials are close behind

(NewsNation) — Mortgages make up the bulk of household debt but a new analysis shows most Americans owe thousands of dollars beyond their home loans, with members of Gen X carrying the highest balances. Across the 100 largest metros in the U.S., the median non-mortgage debt is $24,668, according to online lending marketplace LendingTree. Gen … Read more

How interest rates have changed even as the Fed holds steady

How interest rates have changed even as the Fed holds steady

Hinterhaus Productions | Digitalvision | Getty Images Savings accounts Higher rates mean that consumers have to pay more to service their debt, but it also means that banks pay higher rewards to savers. It’s one of the silver linings to the current rate environment, said Ted Rossman, chief credit card analyst at Bankrate. “There’s also … Read more

How the Federal Reserve’s next move impacts your money

How the Federal Reserve’s next move impacts your money

Economists expect the Federal Reserve to leave interest rates unchanged at the end of its two-day meeting this week, even though many experts anticipate the central bank is preparing to start cutting rates in the months ahead. In prepared remarks earlier this month, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said policymakers don’t want to ease up too quickly. Powell … Read more

What the Federal Reserve’s next move means for the rates you pay

What the Federal Reserve’s next move means for the rates you pay

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will leave interest rates unchanged, setting the stage for rate cuts to come and paving the way for relief from the combination of higher rates and inflation that have hit consumers particularly hard.  Although Fed officials indicated as many as three cuts coming this year, the pace that they trim interest … Read more

How interest rates have changed over the last 12 months

How interest rates have changed over the last 12 months

Inflation is cooling. Consumer spending continues to be at record highs, while consumer confidence has been trending up. And, after almost two years of rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, investors are expecting at least a few cuts to interest rates this year. Their anticipation is understandable: The federal funds rate hasn’t been this … Read more

Soft landing or no landing, economists weigh in ahead of Fed

Soft landing or no landing, economists weigh in ahead of Fed

The Federal Reserve is expected to announce it will leave rates unchanged at the end of its two-day meeting this week, after recent reports showed the economy grew at a much more rapid pace than expected and inflation eased. “In many ways, we already have a soft landing,” said Columbia Business School economics professor Brett House. … Read more