Citing low unemployment and “solid” market conditions, the Federal Reserve Board held firm to its 4.25% to 4.5% target lending rate, extending a pause that began in January following a series of quarter-point cuts. +
U.S. auto dealers sold 697 franchises in an all-time record of 438 transactions last year, according to Kerrigan Advisors’ year-end Blue Sky Report, a 10% increase from 2023. +
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the annual rate of inflation fell from 3% in January to 2.8% in February on a year-over-year basis, slightly below the forecasted rate of 2.9%.+
The Conference Board’s U.S. Consumer Confidence Index fell seven points to 98.3 in February, driven by an underwhelming short-term outlook for income, business and employment prospects. +
Few of the leading economists surveyed by Wolters Kluwer expect the Federal Reserve to announce an interest rate cut at its March meeting as inflation shows few signs of abating in 2025. +
TransUnion’s latest credit insights report forecasts gains in auto, home and unsecured personal loan originations tempered by concerns over changing federal policy and paused interest rate cuts. +
The consumer price index rose for the fourth straight month in January, pushing inflation to a 3% year-over-year increase in the same month the Fed announced a pause to interest rate cuts. +
The Federal Reserve Board’s first meeting of 2025 ended with its target lending rate unchanged as the agency pursues its “dual mandate” to limit inflation and unemployment. +
Economist and Forbes contributor Jason Schenker lists five key trends that will determine the performance of dealers’ investment portfolios in 2025, including an accelerating GDP. +
