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The Federal Reserve's latest "dot plot" outlining future interest rate moves suggests the central bank will still cut rates twice this year, unchanged from its March outlook, though June's forecasts shows a more divided Fed weighing its next move on interest rates. The Fed announced Wednesday that it held its benchmark interest rate in a range of 4.25%-4.5%, as expected. This marked the fourth straight meeting the Fed kept rates unchanged since cutting rates by 0.25% back in December. Along with its policy announcement, the Fed released updated economic forecasts...

US stock futures fell with investors on edge as Israel and Iran continued to trade strikes against a backdrop of shifting US trade policy and stubborn interest rates. Futures attached to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) fell 0.4%. Futures attached to the benchmark S&P 500 (ES=F) sank 0.5% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) stumbled 0.6%. On Monday evening, Trump called for the evacuation of Iran's capital city, Tehran, as Israel pledged to continue attacking the country. "Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign," the...

UK house prices slump by £1,150 month-on-month (Image: Getty)Average house prices in the UK fell by around £1,150 or 0.4% month-on-month in May, according to a leading index.Property prices now average £296,648, compared to £297,798 last month, Halifax has said. But, despite the monthly price drop, property values are still more than £7,000 higher than last year, Halifax said. May’s month-on-month price fall follows a 0.3% increase in April. Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax, said: "These small monthly movements point to a housing market that has remained largely...

House prices in the UK picked up again in May, helped by favourable market conditions for buyers, according to Nationwide Building Society.Prices rose by 0.5% compared to April, when they had fallen by 0.6%. The average property now costs £273,427. On a yearly basis, prices were up 3.5%, a slight increase from April’s 3.4% rise. Nationwide said the market remains “supportive” for those looking to buy. Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said: “Despite wider economic uncertainties in the global economy, underlying conditions for potential home buyers in the UK remain...

With the economy slowing and President Donald Trump’s tariffs likely to stoke inflation, investors face various risks. Building a portfolio that has at least some less risky assets in it can be useful to help you ride out volatility in the market. The trade-off, of course, is that in lowering risk exposure, investors are likely to earn lower returns over the long run. That trade-off may be fine if your goal is to preserve capital and maintain a steady flow of interest income. But if you’re looking for growth, consider...

The dollar's decline extended into Tuesday, as the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on the economic landscape and prospective U.S.-Japan dialogues weighed in. This marked a continuation of plummeting values after Moody's downgraded the U.S. sovereign rating, heightening traders' concerns over the nation's fiscal health.In focus are anticipated U.S.-Japan conversations, where Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato expects discussions with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to tackle currency volatility. Similar issues are likely to surface at the G7 finance meeting in Canada this week.While Australia's decision to cut interest rates saw...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday on Capitol Hill that new trade deals with major partners could be announced as soon as this week. "Many of our trading partners have approached us with very good offers, and we are in the process of renegotiating those," Bessent said, noting that the US is currently in talks with 17 of its 18 key trading partners, with China as the exception. "I'd be surprised if we don't have more than 80% or 90% of those wrapped up by the end of the year,...

Fast-growing fruit trees for your backyard harvestHere are five fast-growing fruit trees you can plant in your backyard for a quicker harvest.unbranded - LifestyleRates for home loans remained high as consumer and investor confidence take a hit amid the White House's tariff rollout.In the week ending April 24, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.81%, Freddie Mac announced. That’s down fractionally from 6.83% last week, which saw the biggest one-week jump since last August.Those figures don’t include fees or points, and rates in some parts of the country may be higher or lower than the...

By Hannah Parry is a Newsweek Live Blog Editor based in New York. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics and society. She has covered politics, tech and crime extensively.Hannah joined Newsweek in 2024 and previously worked as an assistant editor at The U.S. Sun and as a senior reporter and assistant news editor at The Daily Mail. She is a graduate of the University of Nottingham. You can get in touch with Hannah by emailing h.parry@newsweek.com. Languages: English. Hannah Parry and Gabe Whisnant is a Breaking News Editor at...

Currency volatility across the region has jumped ever since the larger-than-expected new US tariffs were announced last week. (EPA Images pic) BEIJING: President Donald Trump’s US tariff whiplash and the Chinese yuan’s trajectory will likely keep Asian currency volatility elevated. Currency volatility across the region has jumped ever since the larger-than-expected new US tariffs were announced last week, while foreign currency options signal increased bearishness. Concerns over economic growth have also driven more aggressive bets that regional central banks will cut interest rates. Uncertainty could remain high, even as Trump...