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By Ken Silva
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has collected Americans’ financial records in bulk, according to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Wyden revealed the existence of a ...
- Massachusetts to Reduce ‘Significant Overcount’ of COVID-19 Deaths
By Harry Lee
The Massachusetts Public Health Department announced Thursday that the state would lower its COVID-19 death count by 3,700 due to new measuring ...
- Democrat Spending Bill Contains ‘Serious Expansion of Federal Gun Control’: Gun Rights Group
By Joseph Lord
Democrats’ $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package, unveiled early Wednesday, includes provisions that constitute “a serious expansion of federal gun control” according to ...
- Illinois Illegally Denied Elections Group Access to Voter Records, Federal Court Rules
By Matthew Vadum
A federal court ruled that Illinois violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) when it refused to provide an election integrity group with access ...
- US Inflation Rises 7.9 Percent in February, Hitting a New 40-year High
By Andrew Moran
The U.S. annual inflation rate surged to 7.9 percent in February, matching the market estimate, new data show.
Last month, the core inflation rate, which strips the ...
- House Passes $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill With $13.6 Billion for Ukraine
By Isabel Van Brugen
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to pass a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill that includes $13.6 billion in ...
- Facebook Called Out For Vaccine Marketing Alliance
By Alice Giordano
A health alliance formed by Facebook in June of 2021 has been funding research into “how best to use behavioral science, social media and digital platforms ...
- 10,000 Uncounted Ballots Found in Texas County: Officials
By Jack Phillips
Officials in Texas said they discovered about 10,000 uncounted ballots in last week’s primary election, which led to a delay in the results.
The Harris County Elections ...
- Industry Calls on Biden to Lift Moratorium on New Oil, Gas Leases
By John Haughey
Domestic producers in the United States welcomed President Joe Biden’s March 8 order banning Russian oil and gas imports but say his ...
- GOP Expects Midterm Sweep as Gas Prices Spike
By Joseph Lord
Democrats are blaming rising gasoline prices—which have reached unprecedented levels in various parts of the country—on monopolies and price gouging. Republicans have called ...
- Documents reveal feds paid news outlets to praise COVID vaccines
By Bob Unruh
Only recently has it been revealed that one of the “vaccines” for COVID-19, pushed by the federal government and pharmaceutical industry on ...
- Bill Gates’ Relationship With Jeffrey Epstein Played Part in Divorce: Melinda Gates
By Katabella Roberts
Melinda Gates has said that billionaire Bill Gates’ relationship with “evil personified” Jeffrey Epstein played a part in her divorce from the Microsoft co-founder.
Epstein was ...
![Strong labor data and positive expectations about the incoming Trump administration pushed the U.S. dollar to a two-year high on Thursday. The U.S. dollar iIndex hit a high of 109.53 on Jan. 2, the first trading day of the year, and the highest since November 2022. The jump came as data released on Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor showed that initial jobless claims hit an eight-month low, suggesting a robust labor market, which is a positive sign for the overall economy. The dollar index was trading slightly lower on Friday at 108.96 as of 08:30 a.m. EST. The dollar index increase is also supported by investor confidence in the upcoming Trump administration, which assumes power this month. According to a recent survey by consulting company Teneo, “global CEOs and investors are optimistic about the economic impact of a second Trump administration, outweighing concerns about tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and trade barriers.” Story continues below advertisement In fact, “50 percent of global CEOs are accelerating activities in areas such as domestic and international investment and hiring based on the outcome of the 2024 U.S. election,” it said. While the dollar strengthened, the euro and sterling declined on Thursday. The euro fell to its lowest level in more than two years while the sterling declined to its lowest in eight months. A Dec. 17 report from JP Morgan predicts the U.S. dollar to reach even new highs over the coming months. Related Stories How Major US Stock Indexes Fared Jan. 2 1/2/2025 How Major US Stock Indexes Fared Jan. 2 Americans Have Hopes Trump Will Deliver on Immigration, Economy, Safety: Gallup 1/2/2025 Americans Have Hopes Trump Will Deliver on Immigration, Economy, Safety: Gallup “November’s election outcome has given way to lower global growth expectations, wider growth gaps between the U.S. and the rest of the world, and higher terminal federal funds rate forecasts for 2025—the perfect trifecta of bullish U.S. dollar cyclical impulse,” said Meera Chandan, co-head of Global FX Strategy at the company. “These are early first-order reactions that may give way to deeper rethinks once the full set of Trump administration policies are known next year [2025], but for now, they constitute a solid economic rationale for carrying a long U.S. dollar stance into the first quarter of 2025.” JP Morgan sees the euro’s outlook as bearish, noting the eurozone is especially vulnerable to trade conflicts. And while sterling was the best-performing currency against the dollar last year, such an outperformance is not expected this year, it said. US Economy Performance in 2025 With President-elect Donald Trump set to take power in less than three weeks, there are mixed views about how things could shape up for the American economy. According to a Dec. 9 post by Morgan Stanley, markets are “bullish on Trump’s second term, hoping for tax cuts and better growth.” “We expect no net stimulus and a decent size hit from tariffs and immigration. This should be bullish for bonds as the Fed continues cutting, but could be a disappointment for frothy stocks,” it said. Regarding tariffs, the most likely outcome is a 20 percent hike on Chinese imports and on vehicles from Mexico and the European Union, Morgan Stanley said. Story continues below advertisement It predicts the U.S. Federal Reserve to continue cutting interest rates to a range of 3 percent 3.5 percent by the end of 2025. S&P Global is forecasting the U.S. economy to grow by 2 percent in 2025 and 2026, following an estimated growth of 2.7 percent last year. The company sees inflation to likely remain above the 2 percent level for “longer than we previously thought.” Goldman Sachs predicts the U.S. economy to “beat expectations” this year. “The U.S. economy is in a good place,” said David Mericle, an economist with the company. “Recession fears have diminished, inflation is trending back toward 2 percent, and the labor market has rebalanced but remains strong.” While Trump’s policy changes are likely to be “significant,” Mericle does not see these actions changing the trajectory of the economy substantially. Goldman foresees the Fed reducing interest rates to a range of 3.25–3.50 percent, with the U.S. GDP predicted to grow by 2.5 percent. There have been three consecutive quarters of economic growth in the first nine months of 2024—1.6 percent in the first quarter, 3 percent in the second, and 3.1 percent in the third.](https://www.usnn.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/US-Dollar-Index-Hits-Highest-Level-in-2-Years-Euro-Falls-jpg.webp "US Dollar Index Hits Highest Level in 2 Years, Euro Falls | USNN World News")
