- Kari Lake Uplifts Ailing Father of 12 Who Urged Family: Help Trump ‘Save America’
By Janice Hisle
DES MOINES, Iowa–After learning about Tim Krachenfels’ illness–and about his family’s dedication to former President Donald Trump’s campaign–Trump ally Kari Lake was ...
- Winter Freeze Could Chill Iowa Caucus Turnout
By John Haughey
WAVERLY, Iowa—The blizzard blasting across Iowa Friday is expected to taper off early Saturday and be old news by the time voters ...
- House Judiciary Committee Launches Inquiry Into Fani Willis’ Special Trump Prosecutor
By Tom Ozimek
Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor playing a leading role in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump in Georgia, is ...
- Texas Gov. Takes ‘Full Control’ of Eagle Pass Park After Border Chaos
By Caden Pearson
Texas state authorities have taken control of a public park fronting the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, a southern border town that ...
- Trump 14th Amendment Challenger Arrested on Federal Tax Charges
By Jack Phillips
A man who filed a number of lawsuits in different states to try to prevent former President Donald Trump from appearing on ...
- Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty to Tax Charges
By Jill McLaughlin and Zachary Stieber
LOS ANGELES—President Joe Biden’s son on Jan. 11 pleaded not guilty to nine tax charges, in an arraignment in ...
- Hunter Biden Appears on Capitol Hill as Republicans Move to Hold Him in Contempt
By Zachary Stieber
President Joe Biden’s son appeared at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on Jan. 10 as lawmakers consider holding him in contempt ...
- Controversy Erupts After New York Democrat Said Illegal Immigrants Needed for Redistricting In Resurfaced Clip
By Tom Ozimek
Amid the massive influx of illegal aliens into New York City that has filled up shelters and prompted the mayor to declare ...
- Trump Says Georgia Case ‘Totally Compromised’ After Allegations of DA Fani Willis’s ‘Improper’ Romantic Relationship
By Tom Ozimek
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the Georgia election interference case against him “totally compromised” and insisted it should be dropped ...
- New Hampshire AG Says Democrats Engaging in Voter Suppression, Violating Election Law
By Alice Giordano
The New Hampshire attorney general’s office has accused the Democratic National Committee (DNC) of unlawful voter suppression and violating state election laws ...
- Court Interference With Trump Will Incite Violence
By Alice Giordano
As dangerous as he sees former President Donald Trump, Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) says it would be more dangerous ...
- FBI: Illegal Aliens Tried Nearly 48,000 Times to Purchase Firearms Over Past 25 Years
By Allan Stein
PHOENIX, Ariz.—The FBI logged more than 47,000 attempts by illegal aliens to purchase firearms at gun shops over the past 25 years, ...
![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 7")
