Mecklenburg Times: News for Mecklenburg, Union and Iredell counties Real Estate, Development, Construction, and Community News in the Charlotte area and throughout Mecklenburg, Union and Iredell counties

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen cautioned Wednesday that global weakness and falling financial markets could depress the U.S. economy’s growth and slow the pace of Fed interest rate hikes. But Yellen made clear that the Fed won’t ...

Tagged with: Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen will address Congress on Wednesday at a time of deepening uncertainty about the Fed’s interest rate policies. Since the Fed raised rates from record lows in December, the economic landscape has become ...

Tagged with: Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers kept their spending flat in December and instead boosted their savings rate to the highest level in three years. Consumer spending was unchanged in December after rising 0.5 percent in November, the Commerce Department reported ...

Tagged with: consumer spending

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy’s growth slowed sharply in the final three months of 2015 to a 0.7 percent annual rate. Consumers reduced spending, businesses cut back on investment and global problems trimmed exports. The slowdown could renew doubts ...

Tagged with: Economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve sounded a note of concern Wednesday about how global pressures could affect a slowing U.S. economy, while keeping a key interest rate unchanged. Six weeks after it raised rates from record lows, the Fed ...

Tagged with: Federal Reserve

WASHINGTON (AP) — Confidence among U.S. home builders held steady in January even though builders’ expectations about future sales dipped slightly. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index stood at 60 in January, matching the December reading, ...

WASHINGTON – Even though the Federal Reserve voted unanimously to raise a key interest rate last month, some policymakers viewed their decision as a “close call” given on-going concerns about stubbornly low inflation. Going forward, officials believed economic conditions will ...

Tagged with: Federal Reserve interest rates

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is raising interest rates after seven years of record lows. But it’s signaling that further rate hikes will likely be made slowly as the economy strengthens further and muted inflation rises. The Fed’s move Wednesday ...

Tagged with: Federal Reserve

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve is keeping its key short-term interest rate at a record low in the face of threats from a weak global economy and excessively low inflation. But it suggested the possibility of a rate hike in ...

Tagged with: Federal Reserve

WASHINGTON (AP) — Not long ago, it seemed a sure bet: The Federal Reserve would raise interest rates by year’s end. Fed Chair Janet Yellen herself said she expected it. Now, doubts are rising that the Fed will start raising ...

Tagged with: Federal Reserve