Airline sector shows resilience with strong demand and positive earnings, indicating robust consumer and corporate spending despite earlier geopolitical concerns. Netflix reporting after close, remains a streaming leader, but valuation concerns persist; overall, stocks continue mild melt-up with benign retail and jobless data supporting stability.

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage rose for the second week in a row, another setback for the U.S. housing market, which is mired in a sales slump as affordability constraints shut out prospective homebuyers.

President Donald Trump is wrong to challenge Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The independence of the central bank is critical to economic stability.

President Donald Trump may ultimately get his wish for lower interest rates, but it isn’t likely to be the result of his intensifying criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, offered support Wednesday for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whose policies she frequently criticizes.

Stocks had been rising modestly in the morning, before news reports saying that Trump was likely to fire the Fed chief, which quickly sent the the S&P 500 down by 0.7%. When later

Trump has been highly critical of the central bank chairman over his reluctance to cut interest rates more quickly.

There could be a revolt in global markets, including a possible collapse in the dollar and US bonds, if President Donald Trump were to take the unprecedented step of removing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from the helm of the central bank,