Matt Peterson

3 weeks ago | barrons.com | Matt Peterson

Credit-rating firm Moody’s downgraded U.S. debt from its Aaa rating on Friday, citing successive administrations’ failures to deal with rising U.S. debt and deficits.

3 weeks ago | barrons.com | Matt Peterson |Reshma Kapadia

U.S. tariff negotiations may be far from complete, but talks over the past several days have put what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has called a floor and a ceiling on potential outcomes. Tariff levels with China, for instance, may change, but by less than the dramatic shifts of the past several weeks.

3 weeks ago | barrons.com | Matt Peterson

The stock market breathed an epic sigh of relief after President Donald Trump’s administration took the possibility of supersize China tariffs off the table.

3 weeks ago | finance.yahoo.com | Matt Peterson

When the confetti and empty Champagne bottles from Monday’s stock rally are cleared away, the path ahead for markets and the economy still looks murky. A deal with China isn’t done, and tariffs on that country and others are still high enough to cause a serious hit to the U.S. economy. Another issue: Debt held by the public is equivalent to roughly 100% of U.S. gross domestic product, a level at which small changes in interest rates can have immense consequences for taxpayers.

1 month ago | barrons.com | Matt Peterson

Nearly 100 days into President Donald Trump’s second term, a truce of sorts has emerged between the administration and the markets. It may not last. Trump took steps to calm markets last week by easing his criticisms of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and suggesting the administration may soon lower its staggeringly high China tariffs. But negotiations are dragging out as the economic hit nears.