- Guthrie Family Says It Received a Message and ‘We Will Pay’ for Mother’s Return
By Jacki Thrapp
The family of Nancy Guthrie has offered to pay the alleged kidnapper(s) to return their 84-year-old mother who vanished nearly one week ...
- FBI, Sheriff’s Department Probing New Message in Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Case
By Aldgra Fredly
The FBI in Arizona and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department on Feb. 6 said they are investigating the authenticity of a new ...
- TSA Says It Has Successfully Rolled Out New Identity Verification System for American Flyers
By Naveen Athrappully
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) successfully implemented TSA ConfirmID, which offers airline passengers without Real ID documentation an alternative method to get ...
- US Arrests Key Suspect in 2012 Benghazi Attack, DOJ Announces
By Ryan Morgan
WASHINGTON—The U.S. government has apprehended a key suspect in the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on U.S. diplomatic outposts in Benghazi, Libya, Attorney ...
- Freight Train Derails in Connecticut, Sending Cars Carrying Liquid Propane Into River
By The Associated Press
MANSFIELD, Conn.—A freight train derailed Thursday in Connecticut, sending cars carrying flammable liquid propane into the water, though officials say they ...
- Georgia’s Fulton County Sues for Return of 2020 Election Documents Seized by FBI
By Matthew Vadum
Fulton County, Georgia, is suing the federal government for the return of 2020 election documents that the FBI seized in a raid ...
- Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie Case Urges Public Not to Share Unverified Accusations
By Jack Phillips
An Arizona sheriff’s department on Feb. 4 said that people should not share “unverified accusations” in response to reports about “Today” show ...
- Ex-Husband of Jill Biden Arrested and Charged With Murder
By Zachary Stieber
The ex-husband of former First Lady Jill Biden has been arrested in Delaware for allegedly murdering his wife, authorities said on Feb. ...
- Kevin Warsh Wants an Overhaul of the Fed—Here’s What That Could Look Like
By Andrew Moran
Former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the new head of the U.S. central ...
- Trump Launches $12 Billion ‘Project Vault’ Critical Minerals Stockpile
By Catherine Yang
President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 2 a new strategic private sector critical minerals stockpile.
“Project Vault” is being seeded with $1.67 billion ...
- More Winter Weather Leads to Heavy Snow, Canceled Flights And, in Florida, Falling Iguanas
By The Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn.—A huge swath of the United States from the Gulf Coast into New England was mired in extra-cold temperatures Sunday ...
- House Speaker Says He Has Votes to End Government Shutdown This Week
By Jack Phillips
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that he is confident that the House will end the partial government shutdown that was initiated ...
![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")
