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By Zachary Stieber
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was attacked in the early hours of Oct. 28 during a home invasion, Pelosi’s office says.
A person ...
- Pentagon: US to End Sea-Launched Nuclear Missile Program
By Jack Phillips
The United States will stop developing nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missiles, according to new documents released by the Department of Defense (DOD).
The documents ...
- Senators Share Documents With Prosecutors Probing Hunter Biden
By Zachary Stieber
Two senators have shared documents they’ve obtained while investigating President Joe Biden’s son with prosecutors who are probing the son, Hunter Biden, the ...
- Trump to Hold Rallies in Four States Ahead of Midterm Elections
By Frank Fang
Former President Donald Trump is set to go on a rally blitz for candidates he has endorsed in at least four battleground states during ...
- Trump Was Right on TikTok, says Top Democrat Senator
By Victoria Kelly-Clark
One of the Democratic Party’s leading figures, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who is head of the United States Senate intelligence committee, has said former ...
- Arizona County Approves Plan to Hand Count Ballots, Citing Declining Voter Confidence
By Katabella Roberts
A Republican-controlled county in Arizona will hand count some ballots cast at polls in November’s midterm congressional elections after voting to approve the measure on Oct. 24.
The ...
- GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Zeldin Says He’ll Declare Crime Emergency in NY
By Jack Phillips
Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin suggested he would declare a crime emergency and end cashless bail if he’s elected, according to remarks ...
- Michigan State Senator Raises Concerns About Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Election Integrity
By Tiffany Meier, Joshua Philipp and Naveen Athrappully
Michigan state Sen. Ruth Johnson, a Republican, has accused Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, of incompetence, and raised concerns about election ...
- Tudor Dixon, Gretchen Whitmer Debate Pandemic Response, Mandating COVID Jabs for School Kids in Michigan
By Caden Pearson
Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she doesn’t support “requiring the COVID vaccine” for school kids after being put on the spot by Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon during ...
- US, Other IEA Members Have ‘Huge’ Oil Reserves That Can Be Tapped If Supply Is Disrupted: Birol
By Naveen Athrappully
Members of the International Energy Agency (IEA) can tap into its oil reserves to alleviate any supply issues, the agency’s executive director Fatih Birol ...
- Independent Voters Rush Away From Democrats on Economy Ahead of Midterms: Survey
By Bryan Jung
A new survey reveals that independent voters are fleeing from the Democrats due to the economy and inflation, two weeks before the midterm elections.
Independents are 20 percent ...
- ‘Misguided’ Government Policies Worsen US Homelessness Crisis: Report
By Emel Akan
Homelessness in the United States has increased dramatically over the last decade and is now at crisis levels in many major cities. ...
![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 9")
