China and the U.S. are approaching the finish line on trade negotiations that could end later this month, according to three sources. Negotiations are in the "final stages" as the two sides plan a summit for the end of March at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's Florida resort, sources told CNBC.READ MORE...

personal income fell for the first time in more than three years in January as dividends and interest payments dropped. A report from the Commerce Department on Friday also said inflation pressures remained in check. Personal income slipped 0.1 percent in January, the first decline since November 2015, after jumping 1.0 percent in December.Wages increased by a moderate 0.3 percent in January after rising 0.5 percent in December. Households held back on buying cars and recreational goods in December, leading to a 1.9 percent plunge in spending on goods.

That was the slowest pace since the beginning of 2018, as the government shutdown and other economic factors took a toll on growth.  GDP growth in the October-December quarter was down from a 3.4 per cent gain in the third quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.The 35-day government shutdown took out estimated 0.1% from growth in the fourth quarter. GDP growth for all of 2018 came in at 2.9 per cent, the best showing since 2015.

U.S.stocks slipped on Thursday as a U.S.-North Korea summit ended abruptly without an agreement, with a clutch of weak earnings adding to the downbeat sentiment. Read more...

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the U.S. is getting closer to a highly anticipated trade deal with China. "The deal is not done yet but we have made a lot of progress" Mnuchin told CNBC's Hadley Gamble in an interview that aired on "Squawk on the Street" Thursday.READ MORE...

The world's biggest sovereign wealth fund went on a stock buying spree during the market turmoil at the end of 2018. Norges Bank, which manages Norway's $1 trillion oil-funded wealth pot, said it bought 185 billion crowns ($21.7 billion) worth of equities, with the bulk of purchases coming in November and December.READ MORE...

trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, says any trade deal with China is far from complete and still needs a lot of work. "Much still needs to be done before an agreement can be reached," U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said." President Trump was hopeful this week that an agreement could be reached when he said "substantial progress" had been made after negotiations that went through the weekend. 

The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) recently released a survey results for their U.S. Financial Health Pulse, which tracks the overall financial health of America's households. Most Americans, 55%, are "financially coping."Another 28% are "financially healthy," following a financial strategy that makes them resilient and able to handle financial setbacks. The remaining 17% are "financially vulnerable," struggling with almost every aspect of their finances.

Most of the nation’s leading business economists predict that the U.S. economy will tip into recession by the end of 2021. A survey from the National Association of Business Economics released Monday predicts that three-fourths of the association’s 281 members expect a recession by 2021.Although only 10% of the NABE expect a recession in 2019, 42% expect a recession in 2020. Despite the heightened recession risks, most of the economists say the Federal Reserve is on the right path of monetary policy.

The most powerful lever to ensure retirement security is working longer.  People who delay cla.ng their Social Security benefit until age 70 will generally have enough retirement income to maintain their preretirement standard of living.The goal of policy makers should be to eliminate impediments to working and increase incentives to stay in the workforce READ MORE...

Federal Reserve officials discussed at their meeting three weeks ago ending the reduction of bonds on the central bank's balance sheet before the end of 2019, according to minutes released Wednesday.READ MORE...

Top U.S. and Chinese trade officials are working this week to hash out language on six broad agreements that aim to resolve the most contentious issues in their seven-month trade war. Read more...  

It seems Federal Reserve officials widely favored ending the runoff of the central bank’s balance sheet this year, while expressing uncertainty over whether they would raise interest rates again in 2019, minutes of their January meeting showed. “Almost all participants thought that it would be desirable to announce before too long a plan to stop reducing the Federal Reserve’s asset holdings later this year,” according to the record of the Federal Open Market Committee’s Jan. 29-30 gathering released Wednesday.The minutes said that “many participants suggested that it was not yet clear what adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate may be appropriate later this year.”

stocks were little changed on Wednesday as investors weighed the latest developments in trade talks between the United States and China, while waiting for minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January policy-setting meeting.READ MORE...

Pledges from Beijing to buy more American goods and fix some economic structural issues are meaningless victories for the U.S. if Donald Trump's administration doesn't also create ways to enforce a trade agreement with China, according to a top official from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.READ MORE...

After several rounds of discussion, the United States and China are set to start fresh talks in Washington today with follow-up sessions planned for Thursday. Read more...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (MarketWatch) — Sentiment conditions on Wall Street are flashing short-term danger signs. That’s because the mood has shifted from the extreme pessimism that prevailed in late December to nearly as extreme optimism today.Some call current conditions a “slope of hope.” READ MORE...

Q: I read your answer about annuities and wondered about something.Is that true? READ MORE...

The U.S. Federal Reserve’s new “wait and see” policy approach will still probably lead to one interest-rate hike before year end, and another in 2020, a top Fed official said on Wednesday. Offering a clearer picture of his policy expectations than most other U.S. central bankers, Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker said the U.S. economy is generally in good shape and risks are only very slightly tilted to the downside.READ MORE...

job openings surged to a record high in December, led by vacancies in the construction and accommodation and food services sectors, strengthening analysts’ views that the economy was running out of workers.READ MORE...