Free Republic

Meta and Microsoft — two of America’s biggest companies — both delivered blockbuster earnings on Tuesday. The news helped to calm fears that President Donald Trump’s tariffs were hurting consumer and business spending. That boost to confidence in the broader US economy gave a lift to 401(K)s invested in major indexes like the Nasdaq and S&P 500. Meta and Microsoft are considered bellwethers for the US economy because they sit at the heart of key growth sectors — digital advertising, AI, cloud computing, and office software. Their strong performance often reflects broader consumer and business trends, from advertising spending to...

Economist Steve Moore said on Newsmax Wednesday that he underestimated certain economic indicators under the Trump administration. Inflation increased less than expected in May, with the Consumer Price Index increasing by 0.1% from April and 2.4% year-over-year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Reflecting on his past predictions, Moore said on “Carl Higbie Frontline” that inflation numbers had surprised him in recent months. “I’ve got to confess, I’ve been wrong on the inflation numbers over the last three or four months as well. But at least I’m willing to admit I was wrong,” Moore said. Moore, who previously expressed...

Inflation rose less than expected in May, a month when the effects of higher tariffs were starting to become more widespread. Consumer prices rose 0.1% last month, while the annual inflation rate increased to 2.4% from a four-year-low of 2.3% notched in April, according to the latest Consumer Price Index data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The better-than-expected inflation reading is welcome news for Americans worn down by the higher cost of living and who are fearful of whether tariffs will drive that higher. However, while the tariff impacts weren’t prevalent in Wednesday’s report, the latest CPI...