Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said anything that is infringing or attacking the independence of the central bank “is a mess.”https://www.wsj.com/economy/central-banking/feds-goolsbee-investigating-as-a-pretext-because-of-a-rate-disagreement-is-a-mess-7f98b218
The People’s Bank of China is bolstering support for sectors deemed strategic by Beijing.https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-central-bank-lowers-rates-on-structural-policy-tools-f81c9e9c
The central bank held its base rate steady for a fifth consecutive meeting and removed a reference to potential rate-cuts from its policy statement.https://www.wsj.com/economy/central-banking/bank-of-korea-holds-steady-as-won-weakness-spurs-caution-0178bb9a
Federal Reserve governor Stephen Miran said a letter in Powell’s support signed by prominent central-bank officials from around the world was inappropriate.https://www.wsj.com/economy/central-banking/feds-miran-says-u-s-deregulation-backs-easier-fed-stance-831d545a
The U.S. economy is best served by having an independent Federal Reserve that executes monetary-policy decisions based only on data and analysis, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said in a virtual conversation with the Wisconsin Bankers Association.https://www.wsj.com/economy/central-banking/u-s-economy-best-served-by-independent-federal-reserve-feds-kashkari-says-b83ed65e
Food companies are overhauling brands as they work to ditch artificial dyes or pack protein into their products. New U.S. dietary guidelines could speed up the transformation.https://www.wsj.com/economy/consumers/how-grocery-aisles-are-changing-in-the-age-of-maha-and-ozempic-f1363374
The eurozone’s saving rate fell in the third quarter of last year, helping support the economy as spending modestly recovered.https://www.wsj.com/economy/consumers/eurozones-household-saving-rate-declined-in-third-quarter-081b3dea
Consumers’ mood improved slightly in January, yet Americans remain mired in anxiety about affordability and sluggish hiring, the University of Michigan’s latest survey indicated.https://www.wsj.com/economy/consumers/consumer-sentiment-edges-higher-michigan-survey-finds-160b3208
The 2025 record showed that the world’s second-largest economy remained resilient despite facing steep Trump administration tariffs that slashed its exports to the U.S.https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/china-marks-record-1-2-trillion-trade-surplus-in-2025-despite-u-s-tariffs-2dddf4e3
Taiwan’s exports reached a record high in 2025, powered by robust demand linked to the global artificial-intelligence boom, after the island ended the year on a strong note.https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/taiwans-exports-hit-record-in-2025-on-ai-fueled-demand-bf1f8258
Output unexpectedly rose for a third straight month in November, helped by a 7.8% uptick in car production.https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/german-industrial-production-unexpectedly-picks-up-for-third-straight-month-81d6f262
Canada’s trade balance deteriorated slightly in October, swinging the country to an eighth deficit in the first 10 months of last year.https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/canada-swings-to-goods-trade-deficit-of-c-583-million-in-october-fa4f3b46
The October deficit was $29.4 billion, an imbalance nearly 40% smaller than September’s.https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/u-s-trade-deficit-shrank-to-multidecade-low-in-october-9e9a2ab2
U.S. jobless claims ticked lower last week, showing that despite weaker hiring, the labor market has continued to avoid a rise in layoffs.https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/unemployment-claims-dropped-last-week-8c009ec7
Hiring sputtered. The unemployment rate rose. 2025 put a decisive end to the hottest job market in a generation.https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/jobs-employment-2025-df2fa311
Job hunts are getting desperate for Americans who find themselves locked out of stable, full-time work in a stagnant job market.https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/job-market-cooling-labor-department-6d4204ed
American employers added a seasonally adjusted 50,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, the Labor Department reported.https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/jobs-report-december-2025-unemployment-16e90dea
The WSJ Dollar Index rose 0.2% — up 10 of the past 13 trading days.https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/asian-currencies-consolidate-amid-mixed-signals-1ecc24f5
The BusinessNZ performance of manufacturing index rose 4.4 points to 56.1, its highest level since 2021.https://www.wsj.com/economy/new-zealand-manufacturing-surges-back-to-life-in-december-377ff695
Schmid, one of three dissenters in Federal Reserve’s decision for quarter-point rate cut in December, said that with inflation above the Fed’s 2% target for more than four years policymakers don’t have room to be complacent.https://www.wsj.com/articles/feds-schmid-says-inflation-warrants-keeping-interest-rates-unchanged-b74e21f2