Retail sales report July 2023:

Consumer spending held up well in July as inflation slowed, with retail sales turning in a stronger-than-expected showing for the month, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.The advanced retail sales report showed a seasonally adjusted increase of 0.7% for the month, better than the 0.4% Dow Jones estimate. Excluding autos,...

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Russian ruble slumps to near 17-month low, briefly moves past 100 against dollar

This pool image distributed by Sputnik agency shows Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with the Tver region governor at the Kremlin in Moscow on August 9, 2023.Mikhail Klimentyev | AFP | Getty ImagesThe Russian ruble briefly notched 100 to the U.S. dollar on Monday, nearing a 17-month low as President Vladimir...

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Veteran economist Jim O’Neill says interest rates should stay around 5% for longer

Jim O'Neill, former chief economist Goldman Sachs Group, in Italy in 2019.Alessia Pierdomenico | Bloomberg via Getty ImagesVeteran economist Jim O'Neill says central banks will need to keep interest rates up around 5% across major economies for longer than the market expects, even as inflation subsides.The U.S. Federal Reserve...

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High prices are still a problem

Gas station signboards display prices in Bethesda, Maryland on August 6, 2023.Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty ImagesThursday's consumer price index report likely will show that the pace of price increases is easing, but not enough to get the Federal Reserve to retreat on its inflation fight.If the Wall...

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Credit card balances jumped in the second quarter and are above $1 trillion for the first time

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | Digitalvision | Getty ImagesAmericans increasingly turned to their credit cards to make ends meet heading into the summer, sending aggregate balances over $1 trillion for the first time ever, the New York Federal Reserve reported Tuesday.Total credit card indebtedness rose by $45 billion in...

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