From @WSJopinion: Ordinary Democrats didn’t demand a shutdown. Left-wing nonprofits did. It was all for show, literally, writes Barton Swaim.https://t.co/Ywy2rP49DQ ...

Monetary Policy Considerations - The Federal Reserve's upcoming decision is viewed as an agonizing one, with market probabilities at 50/50 [1][2] - The Fed funds rate is currently in a range of 3.75% to 4% [5][6] - Some believe the neutral Fed funds rate is much lower, potentially leading to a 50 basis point cut [6] - The real neutral Fed funds rate (adjusted for inflation) is estimated to be between 0.75% and 1% [7] - A neutral nominal Fed funds rate of 2.75% assumes inflation will return to 2%, but it's currently running at 2.75% to 3% [8] - Adding the current inflation rate (2.75% to 3%) to the real neutral rate (0.75% to 1%) yields a nominal rate of 3.5% to 3.75% [9] - The market is seeing more hawkish voices emerge because the Fed is closer to neutral, having already cut rates by 25 basis points in October [11] - The Fed needs to assess whether the labor market weakness is cyclical, due to the shutdown, or structural (mismatches between jobs and job seekers) [13] Economic Factors Influencing the Fed - Near-term tariffs are slowing growth [3] - Immigration policies and uncertainty around 12 to 15 million immigrants in the workforce are affecting supply and hurting growth [4] - The government shutdown has hurt growth, but its resolution will help [4][12] - Tailwinds in 2026 include the unwinding of the shutdown, tax incentives, and regulatory relief [4] - The AI data center power boom is considered near neutral on the Fed funds rate [5] - Inflation has been sticky and running 0.75% to 1% above target [12]

If you look at the sectors this week, healthcare is up four and a half%. Materials are up three. Financials are up two and a half.Comm services and tech doing just fine. Doing just fine, but they're not the best two or three. They are not.So today we have 30 new S&P 52- week highs. Of those 30 highs, 27 of them are nontechnology. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Gilead, these are the names.American Express, Amgen, you do have your Crowd Strike, your IBM, and your Seagate. So, the battleship of mome ...

Let me first welcome House Republicans back to the Congress after their 7w week taxpayerf funed vacation. These people have been missing in action, absent without official leave, running scared, but they can no longer hide. >> Minority Leader Hakee Jeff yesterday on Capitol Hill. It comes as Speaker Mike Johnson today is expected to gave in the first full session of the House since September 19th. He's also expected to swear in a Democrat from Arizona who won her special election days after Johnson shut dow ...

Also with us now, let's bring in independent Senator Angus King of Maine. He was among the group of moderates who broke ranks and voted with Republicans in the legislation to fund the government and hold a later vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax subsidies that expire January 1. Senator, thanks so much for being with us.Why did you decide to vote with Republicans to open the government. >> Well, Joe, you have to go back to what the strategy was at the beginning of the shutdown. There were two goals.b ...

Republicans pitch alternative to ACA extension to end government shutdown https://t.co/j43o6xHXdl ...

JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Treasury Secretary Bessent warns the economic impact of the government shutdown is worsening. ...

LIVE S&P 500 Set to Open Down Amid Selloff Fears Last Updated: 27 min ago Dollar Stays Near 3-Month High on Rate-Cut Doubts Memberships Subscribe to Barron's Tools Customer Service Customer Center By Renae Dyer, Dow Jones Newswires The dollar was trading close to a three-month high following a scaling back of U.S. interest-rate cut expectations. In the absence of other major catalysts, markets continue to digest remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell last week saying a rate cut in December was not ...

So this weekend, millions of Americans are facing real uncertainty as the government shutdown continues and their SNAP benefits sit in legal limbo, adding insult to injury. The US Department of Agriculture sent this warning out to retailers just before SNAP funding ran uh ran out yesterday, urging them not to treat SNAP customers differently than other customers. It says in part, "You must offer eligible food at the same prices and on the same terms and conditions to SNAP EBT customers as other customers." ...

The month-long government shutdown is delaying the Securities and Exchange Commission’s work to make it easier for 401(k) plan managers to include private credit and other alternative assets in their offerings https://t.co/4UtgetzLUU ...