Tim Smart

Washington, D.C.

Contributor at U.S. News and World Report

Executive Editor of U.S. News & World Report, Manchester United fan. Views are my own.

Featured in: Favicon

usnews.com Favicon

bbc.co.uk

msn.com

flipboard.com Favicon

newsbreak.com Favicon

deliaonline.com Favicon

birdswatcher.com Favicon

userwalls.news Favicon

iqfin.net

blogredmachine.com + 8 more

Articles

Inflation Moderates in April on Lower Gas, Grocery Prices

1 day ago | usnews.com | Tim Smart

Consumer prices rose less than expected in April, with the pace of annual inflation falling to its lowest level since early 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday. The consumer price index increased by 0.2% for the month, better than the 0.3% forecast, as price decreases for gasoline and groceries offset an increase in housing costs. The pace of annual price increases dipped to 2.3% from 2.4% in March.
U.S.-China Trade Deal Sends Markets Soaring as Inflation Data Arrives This Week

2 days ago | usnews.com | Tim Smart

President Donald Trump secured two wins on trade in a matter of days, with the latest being an announcement Sunday that negotiations between top U.S. officials and their Chinese counterparts had concluded in a 90-day reduction of tariffs.
Vanguard’s View: How Investors Are Dealing With Market Jitters

2 days ago | money.usnews.com | Tim Smart |Elizabeth Whitehead

The first quarter of 2025 has provided those saving for retirement and others already enjoying it with some stomach-curdling drops in the stock market. In early April, the S&P 500 index suffered a two-day, 10% loss in value after President Donald Trump announced sweeping import tariffs. While those losses were somewhat recouped following a postponement of some levies, concern about tariffs continues to roil the markets. Bottom line? Volatility may be our constant companion in the coming months.
Trump Posts a ‘W’ With U.K. Trade Deal - for Now

6 days ago | usnews.com | Tim Smart

Donald Trump is nothing if not a master at declaring crises that only he can fix. Think migrant “invasion.” Haitians eating pets. The Great Depression that would ensue if he were not elected president in 2024. More recently, the crisis du jour has been the notion that other countries are ripping off the U.S. with bad trade policies. The solution? Heavy import tariffs on dozens of nations that would bring manufacturing back to America and set things right. The result?
Fed Holds Rates Steady, Warns of Higher Unemployment and Inflation

1 week ago | usnews.com | Tim Smart

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left interest rates unchanged, as expected, in the first central bank meeting since President Donald Trump announced widespread import tariffs. Some of those tariffs have since been postponed for 90 days until early July, but uncertainty over the scope and impact of the levies has rattled markets and left the Fed on the sidelines.
Fed in Focus But Trump’s Tariffs Still the Main Act

1 week ago | usnews.com | Tim Smart

The Federal Reserve meets Tuesday to consider interest rate policy and, for a change, the decision it announces on Wednesday is not the top concern of most economists and investors. That’s not only because the Fed is widely expected to leave rates unchanged but also as the central bank is something of a sideshow to the main event these days. And that, of course, is what President Donald Trump plans to do with his tariffs policy.
Songs in the Key of Retirement

1 week ago | money.usnews.com | Tim Smart |Elizabeth Whitehead

If you’re like me, music has been an integral part of your existence, the soundtrack to your life. I grew up with vinyl, lived through cassettes and compact discs, and now enjoy creating streaming playlists for smartphones and my home stereo. And I am happy to say that performers I saw live in my youth–Joe Cocker and the group Bad Company–were among the latest inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Female vocalist Cyndi Lauper, also a personal favorite, made the cut too.
Labor Market Remains Strong With 177K Jobs Added in April

1 week ago | usnews.com | Tim Smart

Key Takeaways: Employers added 177,000 jobs in April, better than expected. Gains came in health care, where 51,000 workers were added to payrolls, as well as transportation and warehousing. Federal government employment fell by 9,000. Employers added 177,000 jobs in April, above expectations and a showing that reflects a steady labor market, the Labor Department said on Friday.
Inflation Stable, Home Sales Rise as Economy Shows Some Resilience Amid Tariffs Uncertainty

2 weeks ago | usnews.com | Tim Smart

A measure of inflation closely followed by the Federal Reserve showed Wednesday essentially no change in March, while a report on pending home sales registered a solid bounce. The personal consumption expenditures price index fell by less than 0.1% in March, while the measure that strips out often volatile energy and food costs rose by less than 0.1%. Economists had forecast the PCE would be unchanged for the month.
Economy Shrank in First Quarter as Imports Surged Ahead of Tariffs

2 weeks ago | usnews.com | Tim Smart

Key Takeaways: The U.S. economy contracted by 0.3% during the first quarter as a surge in imports weighed on growth. Private employers added 62,000 jobs in April, according to payroll and human resources firm ADP. Economists had forecast a gain of 124,000. In the first broad measure of the economy since Donald Trump became president, the nation’s gross domestic product shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Wednesday.