- Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors Now Blocked Nationwide
By Zachary Stieber
A federal court on Dec. 7 blocked President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors.
Georgia and other plaintiffs suing Biden over the mandate “will ...
- 80 Years of Remembering Pearl Harbor: Valor, Sacrifice, and Peace
By Paula Ratliff
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii—Thousands of people gathered here on Tuesday to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The surprise assault by the Imperial ...
- US Coal Stockpiles Hit Record Low
By Nathan Worcester
U.S. coal stockpiles dipped to just 80 million tons in September, the lowest monthly total since the Energy Information Administration (EIA) began tracking such ...
- New York City to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines for Private Sector Workers
By Zachary Stieber
Private sector workers in New York City will have to get a COVID-19 vaccine or face termination, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday.
“We have decided to ...
- Woman’s New Accusation Against Chris Cuomo Led to CNN Firing: Lawyer
By Jack Phillips
Chris Cuomo, who was fired by CNN on Saturday, is facing an allegation of sexual misconduct, according to a lawyer who is representing a ...
- COVID-19 a Pandemic of Fear ‘Manufactured’ by Authorities: Yale Epidemiologist
By Isabel van Brugen and Jan Jekielek
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of fear, manufactured by individuals who were in the nominal positions of authority as the virus began ...
- Bob Dole, Former Republican Presidential Candidate, Dies at 98
By Jack Phillips
Bob Dole, a former Republican U.S. Senator from Kansas and GOP presidential candidate, has died at age 98, his family confirmed in ...
- CNN Fires Anchor Chris Cuomo Following Indefinite Suspension
By Mimi Nguyen Ly
CNN on Saturday terminated one of its top anchors, Chris Cuomo, after having indefinitely suspended him earlier this week.
The suspension was announced on Tuesday ...
- 6th Circuit Court Rules Against Biden Administration in OSHA Vaccine Mandate Lawsuit
By Tom Ozimek
The Sixth Circuit Court has denied the federal government’s motion to transfer the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) vaccine-or-test requirement lawsuit ...
- Manchin Joins GOP to Fight Private Sector Vaccine Mandate
By Joseph Lord
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has come out against President Joe Biden’s unprecedented private sector vaccine mandate, joining Republicans in officially cosponsoring a bill ...
- Lithium Prices Shoot Up, Disrupting Plans for Electric Car Manufacturers
By Naveen Anthrappully
Car manufacturers are finding it increasingly pricier to manufacture electric vehicles (EV) as the costs of procuring lithium, one of the main ...
- Tesla Launches Electric Quad Bike in US for Kids
By Reuters
Tesla Inc. has launched an electric quad bike for kids in the United States for $1,900, two years after the electric-car maker introduced the all-terrain ...
![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 10")
