Relief checks news summary | 18 June 2023
US financial news latest updates
Headlines: Sunday, 18 June 2023
- Initial unemployment claims remained steady at 262,000 last week
- Stocks surged on Thursday, Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 close at highest level in 14 months
- Retail sales unexpectedly rise 0.3% in May
- Federal Reserve held rates steady in June, but signaled two more rate hikes in 2023
- The Consumer Price Index tracks a 0.1 percent increase in prices in May
Read more from AS USA:
There are several initiatives to help reduce mankind’s footprint on Earth. One of those, the circular economy, gives an extended life to what we use.
The presence of Gen Z workers continues to grow as they come of age, currently almost 13% but forecast to hit 34% by 2031. The same year their income as a cohort is forecast to overtake millennials more than quintupling their 2020 economic power.
Supplemental Security Income amounts will increase for some recipients in June.
Here’s who will get an extra boost to their monthly payments.
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During the covid-19 health emergency, the US government approved three economic bailouts with the aim of offering assistance to the millions of Americans who could not go to work.
In total, the three bailouts resulted in $4.2 trillion dollars being earmarked for economic relief, of which $280 billion was stolen while another $123 billion was wasted or misspent, according to an investigation by the Associated Press.
When announcing on Wednesday that the Federal Reserve would not increase interest rates in June, Chair Jerome Powell made clear that the pause was not likely to be permanent.
Chair Powell explained that by raising interest rates at such a rapid rate, the Fed had “covered a lot of ground” but added that “the full effects of our tightening have yet to be felt.” To account for the lagging effects, the Free Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to pause any further rate hikes but noted that “nearly all Committee participants view it as likely that some further rate increases will be appropriate this year.”
Summer jobs for teenagers can be a great way to pocket some extra money as spending cash or savings for college. There are a number of what are thought of as traditional positions to fill, like babysitting and lawn care to caddying and lifeguarding or getting a job at a cinema, restaurant or store. Nowadays, there are plenty of summer jobs where teenagers can use their internet and tech savviness like testing videogames or transcribing audios.
So where can teenagers looking for a job over the summer expect to see the highest pay?
Many states are providing stimulus checks and tax refunds in June to help alleviate financial stress caused by inflation and budget surpluses from the previous year. Read our full coverage for a detailed list of the states offering these payments, along with instructions on how to request them and the corresponding amounts.
Google users are eligible to claim compensation money for a data breach by the search giant.
Inflation nationwide is slowing but still twice what the Fed would like, 2%. Two US metro areas are at or below that level already. However, in parts of the US inflation remains more than four times that target.
Having a credit card can be useful for making purchases when you don’t have the cash on hand to shell out for certain expenses. However, the trend among Americans is to increasingly use their credit cards no matter what.
28 percent of all purchases in 2021 were made with credit cards, the highest amount recorded by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The survey found that just 9 percent of Americans used cash to make their purchases.
Despite what you may have heard about using them to improve your credit score, carrying a credit card debt is not in your best interest.
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The Social Security Administration is continuing to mail out June benefits for retired workers, Supplemental Security Income payments, as well as disability and survivor assistance.
This year, thanks to the 8.7% increase in the COLA, the average payments of retirees are $1,827.
As for average Supplemental Security Income payments, SSA sends out about $600 each month. The maximum monthly SSI benefit is up to $914 for an individual and $1,371 for a married couple where both spouses are eligible for the program.
This report tells us which beneficiaries will receive their payments on June 21.
Several banks, including Bank of America, have multiple branch closings scheduled for June. Here’s how many the second largest bank will close and where.
Air travel the US generally arrives on-time but roughly 20% of flights get delayed and almost 3% canceled.
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Next year, the COLA increase is projected to be less. Here are the predictions on the adjustment and what Social Security payments could look like in 2024.
After fifteen months of consecutive rate increases, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) had voted to pause any further rate hikes for at least one month.
Read our full coverage for details on how this decision is likely to impact the average household.
In 2022, a record sixty-nine percent of workers were offered a retirement plan as a benefit of employment. Of those, seventy-five percent took advantage of the perk.
In addition to pensions provided by employers, such as those available to public sector employees, there are various private accounts with unique structures. A popular choice is the 401(k), which enables individuals to save money for their retirement without being taxed until they withdraw the funds many years later. Furthermore, the portion of one’s income allocated to a 401(k) can be deducted from their taxable income, potentially resulting in a lower tax rate.
Read our full coverage for more details.
Hello and welcome to AS USA's live blog covering financial news.
This has been a big week. The US Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, made an announcement on Wednesday stating that there will be no increase in interest rates for June. This marks the first time in the last fifteen months that rates will remain unchanged. Although Chair Powell mentioned the possibility of a rate hike in July, the Federal Open Market Committee is currently assessing the impact of their monetary policy changes and has decided that a temporary pause is the most prudent course of action.
On Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that in May, the Consumer Price Index rose 0.1 percent, bringing the annualized inflation rate down to four percent. The increase was driven by the housing sector, where costs have increased eight percent over the last year, with renters facing an especially higher burden with the average new lease rising by 8.7 percent.
On Thursday, the Department of Labor released the unemployment claims report for this week. Last week, claims held steady at 262,000 new claims, a sign that the labor market is cooling down and a greater number of workers are being separated.