Scott Horsley

Markets are betting the central bank will hold rates steady at its next policy meeting in four weeks.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Minutes show most members of the Fed's rate-setting committee think interest rates will continue to come down so long as inflation moderates, but the timing of the next rate cut remains uncertain.

Some Fed policymakers say it will likely be appropriate to hold rates steady for some time.

after cutting rates by a quarter percentage point at each of the last three Fed meetings.

The vote to cut rates in December was not unanimous.

Two members of the committee wanted to stand pat, while a third voted for a supersized half-point rate cut.

The central banks caught between worries about a softening job market, with unemployment climbing to 4.6 percent, and inflation that remains stubbornly above the Fed's 2 percent target.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

2025 has been a good year for the stock market.

With just three trading days left this year, all the major indexes are up by double digits.

Crude oil prices rose more than a dollar a barrel, but a barrel of West Texas oil is still selling for less than $60, and gasoline prices continue to fall.

AAA says the average price of regular gas nationwide is now $2.83 a gallon.

December's gas prices were the lowest since 2020 during the pandemic.

The founder of Lululemon has launched a hostile effort to reshape the company's board of directors.

Founder Chip Wilson is still one of the company's biggest shareholders.

The value of those shares has fallen sharply this year, and Lululemon is on the lookout for a new CEO.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Even if prices aren't going up as fast as they once were, though, they're generally not coming down.

And that remains a headache for a lot of family budgets, as well as a political problem for the White House.