VENTURE CAPITAL POST

U.S. consumer spending growth unexpectedly stalled in April as households cut back on purchases of automobiles and continued to boost savings, suggesting the economy was struggling to gain momentum early in the second quarter.

Central bankers should be aware of the potentially destabilizing effects of super-easy policy on financial systems, a top U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Monday, even if monetary policy should not be used as a main tool to prevent bubbles.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen was clearer than ever on Friday that the central bank was poised to raise interest rates this year, as the U.S. economy was set to bounce back from an early-year slump and as headwinds at home and abroad waned.

The Federal Reserve’s plan to raise interest rates this year, forged over months of strong jobs growth and a seemingly durable expansion, now faces an economy that no longer follows the script and may push the “liftoff” far into the future.

The U.S. economy is probably not as weak as current estimates suggest, a paper published Monday by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco said, potentially adding to arguments for raising interest rates sooner rather than later.

U.S. stocks finished sharply lower on Tuesday after a surprisingly wide March U.S. trade deficit raised concerns that the economy shrank in the first quarter.

Wall Street ended higher on Monday as corporate earnings came in better than feared, although shares of McDonald's declined after the fast-food chain's turnaround plan left investors wanting more.

The U.S. stock market has struggled for direction of late, but next week's payroll report could confirm whether the recent weakness in data and stock prices is waning as the weather warms, or the start of a longer-term trend.

U.S. economic growth nearly stalled in the first quarter as harsh weather dampened consumer spending and energy companies struggling with low prices slashed spending.

As the Federal Reserve's policy-setting committee wraps up its third meeting of the year, a critical task awaits the U.S. central bank: narrowing the wide gap between how it and the markets view the path of interest rates.

U.S. home resales surged to their highest level in 18 months in March as more homes came on the market, a sign of strength in housing ahead of the spring selling season.

U.S. consumer prices increased for a second straight month in March on rising gasoline and housing costs, a sign of an uptick in inflation that should keep the Federal Reserve on course to start raising interest rates this year.

The roaring stock market rallies of the United States, Japan and Europe show no sign of reaching most emerging markets, where lackluster economic growth and company profits point to a fifth straight year of lagging performance.

Equities in major markets slipped on Monday, weighed down by Wall Street on trepidation over first-quarter earnings, while crude prices added to last week's gains on concern about Middle East tensions.

Federal Reserve policymakers should not read too much into financial market prices to glean the views of investors on interest rates or inflation because prices are hard to decipher, according to research released Monday by the San Francisco Fed.