Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN

Americans are drowning in credit card debt. Trump’s proposed cap on interest rates probably won’t help

It’s easy to see why many Americans would welcome former President Donald Trump’s proposal to cap credit card interest rates at less than half their current level — even if only temporarily.

Want job security in this uncertain market? A surprising trend is paying off

Going to college in the United States has long been considered the ticket to a higher-paying job. But the growing share of high school graduates who are enrolling in vocational schools instead of four-year programs may not be missing out on as much earnings potential as you might think.

Retailers are tricking consumers into spending more with earlier-than-ever Halloween rollout

The dog days of summer have traditionally been prime time for retailers to stock shelves with folders, lunch boxes and backpacks. But suddenly those items are sharing real estate with skeletons, witches and ghosts.

The college job market offers a warning sign to the US labor market

It’s almost laughable at this point when Bryn Savidge gets a job rejection email. “It’s like they’re all using the same AI algorithm to say, ‘Write this person a rejection letter.’” said Savidge, who graduated from Kenyon College, a small liberal arts college 50 miles from Columbus, Ohio, with a major in environmental science. A classic refrain is “We can tell you really want to change the world, but we’ve gone for more qualified candidates,” she said. “They always add an environmental quip.”

With inflation back up, the long-predicted storm clouds in the economy may actually be forming

Progress on inflation is moving in the wrong direction. The latest Consumer Price Index, released Wednesday, showed that annual inflation ticked up to 3.5% in March from 3.2% in February. That marked the largest annual gain in half a year.

What to expect from March jobs report

For the past 50 years, the US unemployment rate has mostly been far above 4%, even rocketing to almost 15% during the pandemic. Yet in the turbulent period that followed lockdowns and other economic disruptions from the pandemic, it has stayed below the 4% level for more than two years.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell signals rate cuts aren’t imminent

The Federal Reserve has been keen on paying attention to investors’ expectations on interest rates. But the Fed is prepared to ignore Wall Street’s hope for a rate cut in June if it feels the economy isn’t ready yet.

US inflation ticked higher last month, reversing some recent progress

The latest US inflation report showed that rising prices continue to weigh on American consumers.

Visa and Mastercard agree to $30 billion settlement; lowers merchant fees

Two of the world’s largest credit card networks, Visa and Mastercard, as well as the banks that issue cards with them, agreed to settle a decadeslong antitrust case brought upon by merchants.

$7 trillion boost to the US economy has downsides too

The US economy defied forecast after forecast predicting an imminent recession over the past two years. Instead, it grew beyond belief.

NAR settlement could slash home prices for many Americans

The entire US housing market is about to get remodeled, and the end product could come with a big perk: cheaper home prices.

Regional banks all ‘guilty until proven innocent’ after Silicon Valley Bank, Citizens CEO says

When I set up an interview with Bruce Van Saun, head of Citizens Financial Group, the 14th largest bank in the US, for a piece that would mark the first anniversary of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank I didn’t anticipate having such a fresh feeling of déjà vu.