Treasury official: The Fed can cut rates next year, even in the face of strong growth
The Trump administration said Tuesday that it expects the economy to grow at a pace of 3% and that the Federal Reserve can continue to lower interest rates in that environment.
Joe Lavorgna, counselor to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, told Yahoo Finance in an interview that the economy is experiencing a boom without inflation tied to President Trump’s deregulatory,
Read MoreSocial Security Payment Dates for 2026: When Your Benefits Will Arrive
Investopedia / Photo Composite by Elizabeth Guevara / Getty Images
When you receive your Social Security benefits depends on the month and day you were born.
The Social Security Administration follows a general schedule for mailing out checks to its more than 74 million beneficiaries.
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Read MoreDow Jones Today: Stock Futures Little Changed After S&P 500 Sets Record Closing High; Gold, Silver Hit Fresh Records; Markets to Close Early Today
Stock futures were little changed Wednesday, a day after the S&P 500 ended at a record closing high. Markets will shut early today and be closed tomorrow for Christmas.
Nasdaq 100 futures and those associated with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial average all ticked 0.1% lower.
Read MoreConsumer spending powers the US economy. A K-shaped economy will further test this dynamic in 2026.
The US economy exits 2025 with one phrase defining consumers — K-shaped.
This year, the division between the economic haves and have nots widened, with sentiment souring as those in the middle of the income distribution were pressured by a softening labor market and feared inflation resulting from tariffs.
As of November,
Read MoreThe Tech Stock Warren Buffett Wishes He'd Bought
Key Points
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Warren Buffett never invested in Microsoft, which has been one of the most successful tech stocks.
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Read MoreThe Burst
Forget Billionaire’s Amazon Buy, Time For This Mag 7 Stock?
Stanley Druckenmiller’s Q3 purchase of nearly half a million Amazon shares drew attention, but the move is more interesting when viewed in context.
Druckenmiller has a long habit of trading Amazon in cycles, buying heavily when sentiment softens and trimming when momentum returns. His last cycle didn’t produce much upside, making his decision to jump back in at a higher cost especially noteworthy.
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Read MoreThe Ivy
Which AI Stock Is Best?
If you follow the market’s biggest winners, you already know Alphabet and NVIDIA sit at the center of the AI boom. But despite being lumped together as “AI beneficiaries,” the two companies couldn’t be more different. One is a diversified digital empire with unmatched cash flow. The other is the indispensable hardware supplier powering the AI build-out.
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Read MoreThe Spotlight
Berkshire’s $9.7 Billion OxyChem Deal Means What?
Buffett’s firm has spent years amassing a giant stake in Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY), starting with a $10 billion preferred stock and warrant package in 2019 that helped Occidental fund its acquisition of Anadarko.
By mid-2025, Berkshire had built that into a 32.7% equity position, making OXY one of its six largest holdings.
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