- JFK Assassination Witness Breaks 60-Year Silence, Refutes Key Claim
By Jack Phillips
A witness to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy spoke out for the first time in 60 years and refuted a ...
- RFK Jr. as Third Party Candidate Will Make It Harder for Democrats to ‘Cheat’: Kari Lake
By Naveen Athrappully
Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is expecting a potential third-party candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to make it harder for ...
- 22 Years On, Is the US Ready for a Next Big Attack
By Terri Wu
If 9/11 were to happen again, it would not take the same form. The United States has evolved, and so have our ...
- ‘Utter Madness:’ Elon Musk Reacts to California’s Proposed Gender Affirming Law
By Dorothy Li
Tech entrepreneur and California resident Elon Musk criticized an assembly bill in the state, calling the proposed law to require that parents ...
- Democrats Search for Alternatives to Biden Over Concerns About Age
By Joe Gomez
President Joe Biden is facing a crisis with Democrat-leaning voters as he runs for reelection, with the majority saying they would prefer ...
- New Mexico Governor Bans Carrying Guns, Says Constitution Not ‘Absolute’
By Tom Ozimek
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday imposed a temporary ban on carrying guns in public in parts of the state ...
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wants His Party Back
By Jeff Louderback
On a steamy summer morning, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. strode into a hotel conference room in Columbia, South Carolina, amid a barnstorming ...
- Trump Fans to Rally in South Dakota Amid Talk About Governor’s Possible Endorsement, VP Contender
By Janice Hisle
RAPID CITY, S.D.—As Gov. Kristi Noem and thousands of fans welcome former President Donald Trump to a sold-out South Dakota GOP rally ...
- Nikki Haley Gains Ground in US Presidential Race
By Alice Giordano
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has been catapulted into a tied position with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in one of the ...
- EPA Begins Arduous Task Removing Toxic Materials From Areas Devastated by Wildfires in Maui
By Allan Stein
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun a phased cleanup of toxic materials from areas impacted by Maui’s wildfires.
At the request ...
- Kari Lake Has ‘Utmost Confidence’ in Victory After Court Finds Maricopa County Signature Verification Unlawful
By Tom Ozimek
Conservative firebrand Kari Lake said she’s highly confident in a legal victory in her upcoming trial after a judge ruled that Maricopa ...
- Beer Cans Recovered From a Dumpster Help Send Florida Man to Prison for Life
By Jacob Burg
A Florida man has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison for stabbing an unarmed convenience store clerk 73 times.
Beer cans ...
![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")
