- 2024 Election to Be Most Expensive With Super PACs, Dark Money, and ‘Trump Factor’
By Patricia Tolson
In a little over one year, the 2024 presidential election cycle will come to an end. In the meantime, some experts predict ...
- Judge Hands Trump a Win in DC Election Case
By Jack Phillips
A federal judge in Washington partially granted a request by former President Donald Trump’s attorneys to allow for extra time to file ...
- Maine Secretary of State Fights to Preserve Restrictions, Penalties for Publicizing Errors on Voter Rolls
By Steven Kovac
The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) wants to know if some people are registered to vote in the state of Maine and ...
- California Governor Signs Bill Banning Hand Counting of Ballots in Most Elections
By Zachary Stieber
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Oct. 4 that bans hand counts in nearly all elections in California, drawing opposition from ...
- Blue States Turn On Biden Over Border Crisis
By Emel Akan
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden is facing significant backlash from Democratic elected leaders, particularly in northern U.S. cities that are struggling to deal with ...
- A Taxiing Airplane Collides With a Chicago Airport Shuttle, Injuring 2 People
By The Associated Press
CHICAGO—Two people were injured at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Friday evening during an accident on the ground involving an airplane preparing ...
- Trump Endorses Jim Jordan for House Speaker
By Mimi Nguyen Ly
Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for the next speaker of the House when lawmakers return to ...
- Iowa Democrats Plan to Delay Caucus Results Until Super Tuesday in ‘Compromise’ With DNC
By Samantha Flom
Iowa Democrats have proposed a plan to cast aside the state’s historic tradition of voting for their preferred presidential nominee via caucus ...
- Appeals Court Rules for Trump Amid NY Fraud Trial
By Catherine Yang
After a hearing on Friday, an appeals court granted a stay, or pause, on a judge’s order that Former President Donald Trump’s ...
- RFK Jr. Speaks to Restoring Critical Thinking, Finding Common Ground During Mississippi Visit
By Matt McGregor
JACKSON, Miss.—At the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Oct. 2, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke of the nation’s old wounds—and new—while addressing ...
- Trump Responds to Biden Administration’s Move to Build Border Wall
By Catherine Yang
Former President Donald Trump had made building a wall at the southern border a hallmark of his first campaign and presidency, and ...
- Trump Requests Dismissal of Election Interference Charges, Citing ‘Presidential Immunity’
By Zachary Stieber
Former President Donald Trump on Oct. 5 asked a federal judge to throw out election interference charges against him in Washington, D.C.
Lawyers ...
![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")
