Markets / Inflation / Rates

Stocks Hit Records While Household Money Signals Stay Strained

Wall Street’s latest record shows corporate strength, but low household saving and high borrowing costs tell a more complicated story.

May 29, 2026

A house key sits beside a calculator and mortgage paperwork on a desk.

BRIEF

Mortgage Rates Near 6.6% Keep Housing Affordability Under Pressure

Average 30-year mortgage-rate readings remained near 6.6% on May 27, keeping monthly payments difficult for many buyers.

May 27, 2026

Person reviewing grocery and fuel receipts beside a generic economic chart.

STANDARD

Why Weak Consumer Sentiment Can Keep Inflation Pressure in Focus

Consumer confidence surveys do not prove where the economy is headed, but rising inflation expectations can still matter for households, businesses, markets, and the Fed.

May 25, 2026

Delivery truck at a gas station with a generic oil price chart visible on a phone.

LEAD

Oil Prices Fall as Iran Talks Raise Hopes, but Inflation Pressure Is Not Over

A sharp drop in crude prices offered a possible pressure valve for inflation, but the relief depends on whether diplomacy eases real risks to oil supply and shipping.

May 25, 2026

A laptop with blurred bond-market charts beside a calculator.

STANDARD

Treasury Yields Remain a Pressure Point for Markets and Borrowers

Treasury yields eased slightly on May 21, but they remain high enough to keep pressure on borrowing costs, markets and federal financing.

May 21, 2026

A desk with financial chart imagery representing Treasury yields and market pressure.

STANDARD

Rising Treasury Yields Put Fresh Pressure on Stocks and Borrowing Costs

Stocks fell Tuesday as Treasury yields rose, a reminder that bond-market moves can affect Wall Street, mortgages, business borrowing, and expectations for the wider economy.

May 19, 2026

The U.S. Capitol where the Senate confirmed the Fed chair; portrait silhouette of Kevin Warsh.

STANDARD

Senate confirms Kevin Warsh as Fed chair after narrow, partisan vote — what changes (and what doesn’t)

Kevin Warsh was confirmed to lead the Federal Reserve in a close Senate vote, according to AP and Axios. Here’s what that means for interest rates, markets, and what to watch next.

May 14, 2026

A laptop with market charts beside a gas pump handle.

STANDARD

Markets Hit New Highs as Oil Worries and Chip Stocks Pull Investors in Opposite Directions

Stocks rose to fresh records Monday as strength in chipmakers helped offset investor concerns about oil prices and the risk of wider disruption tied to Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.

May 13, 2026