Business News

(NEW YORK) -- Tax season kicked off this week as the U.S. Internal Revenue Service began allowing filers to submit completed tax forms.Americans can file anytime before April 15. The IRS said earlier this month that it expects more than 164 million individual tax returns to be filed by that deadline.Refunds are typically sent within 21 days, the agency says. For paper returns, the IRS says turnaround time can last more than four […]

(NEW YORK) -- The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday, ending a string of three consecutive quarter-point rate cuts as the central bank grapples with a combination of elevated inflation and sluggish hiring.The move marked the first interest-rate decision since news surfaced earlier this month of a federal criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell.The choice to maintain interest rates at their current level aligned with a cautious […]

(NEW YORK) -- The Federal Reserve on Wednesday is set to announce its latest decision on the level of interest rates, marking its first rate move since news surfaced of a federal criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell.The investigation ratcheted up an extraordinary clash between the nation's top central banker and the White House, which has urged the Fed to significantly reduce interest rates.The central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates steady […]

The logo and lettering of global online mail order company Amazon can be seen on the façade of Amazon Germany's headquarters in Parkstadt Schwabing in Munich (Bavaria). Amazon.com, Inc. is a listed US-American, globally active online mail order company. In Germany, the group is one of the US companies with the highest turnover. Photo: Matthias Balk/dpa (Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images) (NEW YORK) -- Tech giant Amazon said on […]

(NEW YORK) -- The Federal Reserve on Wednesday is set to announce its latest decision on the level of interest rates, marking its first rate move since news surfaced of a federal criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell.The investigation ratcheted up an extraordinary clash between the nation's top central banker and the White House, which has urged the Fed to significantly reduce interest rates.The central bank is widely expected […]

(NEW YORK) -- Mortgage rates whipsawed in recent weeks as markets reacted to a flurry of policies from the Trump administration.It began with a major milestone. Mortgage rates earlier this month fell below 6% for the first time in nearly three years, according to a data released by Mortgage News Daily."The progress stems directly from President Trump's aggressive agenda to restore the American Dream of homeownership," the White House touted […]

Person shopping (Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) -- The U.S. economy expanded more than economists expected over a recent three-month period, recording robust growth despite concerns about sluggish hiring and cash-strappped shoppers, federal government data on Tuesday showed.The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 4.3% in the third quarter in the government's initial estimate, marking an acceleration from 3.8% growth recorded in the previous quarter.A boost in consumer […]

Gold soared to a new record high on Monday, topping $5,000 per ounce for the first time ever as investors rushed toward the safe-haven asset amid geopolitical unrest.The latest uptick continued a blazing-hot stretch for gold. Over the past year, the price has climbed 83%, far outpacing a 14% jump in the S&P 500 during that period. In early trading on Monday, the price of gold stood at $5,077 per ounce.Silver prices also […]

(NEW YORK) -- Oil prices jumped about 3% after President Donald Trump this week threatened to blockade all sanctioned oil tankers traveling in and out of Venezuela.Venezuela, which has the largest known oil reserves in the world, exports hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil each day.The threatened blockade risks a reduction of global oil supply and an amplification of geopolitical uncertainty -- both of which could further push up […]