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...

Barclays and J.P. Morgan on Thursday reduced their estimates on U.S. economic growth in the final quarter of 2018 following data that showed domestic retail sales took a 1.2 percent spill in December, which was its steepest monthly drop in nine years.READ MORE...

The U.S. and China remain deadlocked on key issues blocking the path toward a trade agreement, according to multiple reports published on Thursday, as representatives for the two countries meet in Beijing. The Chinese government's alleged forced technology transfers as well as its subsidization of domestic industries remain central sticking points as the world's two largest economies try to find common ground on a broad trade deal.READ MORE...

China is reportedly promising to buy semiconductors and other U.S. products in an attempt to alleviate trade tensions with the U.S., according to a Wall Street Journal report Thursday. The olive branch is meant to persuade President Donald Trump to extend a temporary truce over tariffs, according to the report, which cited people with knowledge of the matter.READ MORE...

This moved the four-week moving average of claims to its highest level in just over a year.  Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 239,000 for the week ended Feb. 9, the Labor Department said on Thursday.Data for the prior week was revised up to show 1,000 more applications received than previously reported. Despite the recent jump in claims, layoffs remain low amid companies struggling to find workers. 

President Donald Trump has reservations about a tentative government funding deal that needs his support to pass, leaving its fate unclear with days to spare before another shutdown. The president did not immediately commit Tuesday to signing the agreement to prevent a partial closure this weekend.READ MORE...

Yet more taxpayers will end up with no refund, or a smaller one, compared with a year ago, before the lower rates fully took effect.How could that be? READ MORE...