BREAKING NEWS Fed slashes interest rates by a half point in its first cut since 2020 XETRA - Delayed Quote • ILS IN.IS.S+P500 HC SE.ACC IS (3O6M.DE) Follow 35.03 0.00 (0.00%) At close: February 3 at 5:45 PM GMT+1 Related News Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff: Autonomous AI agents will beat Copilots Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff comes out swinging again at Microsoft's Copilot. Why this economist doesn't see a recession 'around the corner' Ahead of the Federal Reserve's expected rate cut announcement, Comerica Bank chief economist Bill Adams joins Madison Mills and Brad Smith on Morning Brief to discuss what to expect from the Fed on Wednesday and how it could affect the economy going forward. The economist tells Yahoo Finance that he sees a 25 basis point cut as the most likely outcome of Wednesday's meeting, saying "the economy is in a pretty good place." Adams notes that no matter the size of the cut, "as long as the Fed signals that they expect to make substantial further cuts into 2025, I think that will provide the reassurance that financial markets and the economy more broadly needs." "I don't see a recession around the corner," Adams says, adding he's been watching the Sahm indicator and unemployment for signs of a recession. "Historically, when the unemployment rate has risen as much as it has, the economy has been in recession, but this time ... seems different because we're seeing very rapid labor force growth in 2024." He adds that coming out of the Fed meeting, the outlook, given through the dot plot and Jerome Powell's remarks, may ultimately be more important to the market than the cut. "I think forward guidance is going to matter more than the immediate decision," he says. Adams tells Morning Brief, that he expects "actual policy is going to probably end up more dovish than what we see in the dot plot." Adams reminds investors that fiscal policy is among the factors that are outside of the Fed's control and will not be reactive to rate cuts. As the presidential election fuels uncertainty about the market and economy, the economist says he's been reminding clients "that fiscal policy depends as much or more on what happens in Congress" and while "the presidential election is what's eating up all the bandwidth, but what happens in the legislative branch is really going to determine what happens with fiscal policy." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Naomi Buchanan. Fed's September meeting is its 'most uncertain' since 2015 Ahead of Wednesday’s expected rate cuts, Penn Mutual Asset Management portfolio manager George Cipolloni joins Josh Lipton and Josh Schafer on Market Domination Overtime to discuss what's to come from the Federal Reserve meeting and the market's expectations. Cipolloni tells Yahoo Finance that he thinks the central bank should do a 50-basis-point cut, though “normally wouldn't want the Fed to do 50, but the market shifted so much over the last week or so” that a 25-basis-point cut could be disappointing. If the Fed were to cut 25 points, “it seems like there's a prevailing theory out there that that might also cause a little bit of instability,” as “given the amount of data points we'd have to get between now and their next meeting in November,” that could make for a more volatile period between the September and November meetings. “I think the Fed has done a really good job in terms of just holding the line, not pivoting too soon, but now with the expectation of the market… this is going to be the most uncertain FOMC meeting” since 2015. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination Overtime. This post was written by Naomi Buchanan. Gold is having a moment — but silver is poised for its own: Morning Brief Silver has outperformed gold this year, but the second-fiddle metal has even more upside potential based on two key factors. Mixed markets ahead of Fed decision: Market Domination Overtime On today's episode of Market Domination Overtime, Hosts Josh Schafer and Josh Lipton analyze the market close and break down some of the biggest stories from the trading day. The major market averages closed mixed in Tuesday's session ahead of Wednesday's interest rate decision. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) touched slightly above its flat line, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell by 0.2% after notching a new all-time high Monday. As all eyes are on the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, Penn Mutual Asset Management portfolio manager George Cipolloni would like to see a 50-basis-point cut, explaining that "the market shifted so much over the last week or so” that a 25 basis point cut could be disappointing. "I think the Fed has done a really good job in terms of just holding the line, not pivoting too soon, but now with the expectation of the market… this is going to be the most uncertain FOMC meeting [since 2015].” Instagram will be offering new teen accounts on the social media platform that will restrict exposure to sensitive content and limit app usage. Yahoo Finance tech editor Dan Howley reports on the safety and privacy features Meta Platforms (META) will be providing to younger users after major criticisms around the app's impact on children and teenagers' mental health. Finally, Josh Schafer and Josh Lipton break down what to watch on Wednesday, September 18, from the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision to General Mills' (GIS) fiscal first quarter earnings. This post was written by Melanie Riehl Fed has enough data to cut despite political pressure: Strategist The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates at its September meeting on Wednesday. Hennion & Walsh CIO Kevin Mahn joins Josh Lipton and Josh Schafer on Market Domination to discuss what to expect and how investors should think about the rate change. “I think we get 25 basis points, but with that said, I do believe they should have cut already back in July, and this would represent the second 25 basis point cut, which would lead us to 50 basis points,” Mahn tells Yahoo Finance. “In fact, I believe in all likelihood we revert back to their dot plot chart that we saw coming into 2024, which showed three rate cuts of 25 basis points each this year,” Mahn says. There are three Fed meetings remaining in 2024. In the longer term, Mahn notes that the Fed could make three rate cuts of 25 basis points per year in 2025 and 2026 so that “We're 225 basis points lower by the end of 2026, and we get back down to a rate of between 3 and 3.25%.” As to how investors should be thinking about the cuts, Mahn encourages people to think about the long term. “If you look out a little bit further, I think it's clear…that rates are going to be lower, yields are going to be lower, and inflation is going to be lower over the course of the next two years. If investors have that mindset and that time frame, there are tremendous opportunities in both stocks and bonds.” Watch the video above to hear Mahn explain why the Fed can feel comfortable cutting rates despite political pressure. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Naomi Buchanan. Homebuilder confidence rises, Fed cut on the horizon: Catalysts On today's episode of Catalysts, Hosts Seana Smith and Madison Mills break down some of the biggest stories impacting markets (^DJI,^GSPC, ^IXIC), from the Federal Reserve's highly anticipated interest rate cut to the presidential election ahead. The Home Builder Confidence Index rose to 41 in September, up from August's reading of 39. The latest print from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) came in line with expectations as mortgage rates continue to cool to 19-month lows. Middleburg Communities chief economist Brad Case argues that rate cuts by the Federal Reserve won't fix the housing market's problems: "The basic problem with single-family, owner-occupied housing is just that it's way too expensive. It is overvalued to the extent that it was back in 2006 before house prices crashed." Not only does Case say he doesn't believe a rate cut will aid the housing market's woes, he says the Fed should not adjust policy at Wednesday's meeting. "I actually still think that there isn't really any reason to have any cut at all," he tells Yahoo Finance. As the Federal Reserve gears up to cut interest rates for the first time in four years, this market is pricing in the most aggressive rate-cutting cycle since the 2008 Financial Crisis. Meanwhile, the bond market (^TYX, ^TNX, ^FVX) is seeing a rally in the front end of the yield curve, which has historically been witnessed before economic downturns. WisdomTree head of fixed income strategy Kevin Flanagan does not believe a recession is on the horizon. However, he adds, "the bond market is trying to tell the Fed, that hey, if you don't go big, you're behind the curve already. You're going to continue to be behind the curve, and that we're going to have problems in 2025." S&P Global Ratings Global chief economist Paul Gruenwald tells Yahoo Finance he expects a 25-basis-point cut: “The data has been supportive of kind of a soft landing... It's not just the amount [of the cut] tomorrow that is largely priced in any way. It's the path, how fast is the Fed going to go and how long.” Meanwhile, Touchstone Investments global market strategist Crit Thomas says a 25-basis-point cut “would be a little bit of a disappointment for the markets” since a 50-basis-point cut is already priced in. He adds that it “would be like a small bump. And then we'll just continue from there." Americans are less than two months away from Election Day, with early voting set to begin soon in several states. The race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remains close and polarized. Tusk Venture Partners Founder and CEO Bradley Tusk spent years working in politics before becoming a venture capitalist. "I took one thing away from all of it," he explains. "Every policy output is the result of a political input. Every politician makes every decision solely based on the next election and nothing else." This post was written by Melanie Riehl These Are The Best Robinhood Stocks To Buy Or Watch Now Buying a stock is easy, but purchasing the right one without a proven strategy is incredibly hard. Here are the best Robinhood stocks to buy now. Equity Markets Eke Out Gains Ahead of Fed Decision Equity Markets Eke Out Gains Ahead of Fed Decision Stocks Fluctuate With Fed Decision Coming Shortly: Markets Wrap (Bloomberg) -- Stocks wavered amid uncertainties on how aggressive the Federal Reserve will be with rate cuts after holding them at a two-decade high for more than a year. Most Read from BloombergCalifornia’s Anti-Speeding Bill Can Be a Traffic Safety BreakthroughPipe Fire Near Houston Forces Residents to EvacuateTo Build a Happier City, Design for DensityLondon Mayor Plans to Pedestrianize Busy Oxford StreetNew York City’s Transit System Plans $65.4 Billion of Upgrades for Grand Central, Subway Three stocks to note before the Fed rate cut decision Here are the stocks making the biggest market moves. US Equity Indexes Rise in Choppy Trading Ahead of Fed's Policy Move, Guidance on Easing Path US Equity Indexes Rise in Choppy Trading Ahead of Fed's Policy Move, Guidance on Easing Path Stocks Flat as Fed Interest-Rate Decision Looms The market remains in a holding pattern ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision. The Dow was up 2 points, or nearly unchanged. The S&P 500 was up 0.1%. The Nasdaq Composite was flat. The yield on the 2-year Treasury note was up to 3. Wells Fargo Set to Capitalize Any S&P 500 Weakness as Presidential Election, Rate-Cut Cycle Approaches Wells Fargo Set to Capitalize Any S&P 500 Weakness as Presidential Election, Rate-Cut Cycle Approaches Solar panel giant to axe a fifth of its workforce One of Europe’s largest solar panel manufacturers has announced it will cut about 200 jobs as it battles to return to profitability amid stiff competition from China. All Eyes on Fed Decision: Will Small-Caps Finally Take the Baton? The Fed is about to cut its benchmark policy rate for the first time in more than four years. Next Federal Reserve Meeting: The Fed Rate-Cut Outlook And What It Means For The S&P 500 Fed meetings are always a mark-your-calendar event for investors. The Sept. 17-18 meeting is especially important. Fed Meeting: Rate Cuts Likely To Start With A Bang. The S&P 500 Reaction May Be Especially Wild. This week's Federal Reserve meeting will kick off a new easing cycle. Wall Street expects a half-point rate cut as the S&P 500 aims at a new high. Traders Lock In Fed Bets as Rate-Cut Size Debate to Finally End (Bloomberg) -- Bond investors that have been frantically wagering on the size of the Federal Reserve’s first interest-rate cut in four years are about to find out whether they made the right trade.Most Read from BloombergCalifornia’s Anti-Speeding Bill Can Be a Traffic Safety BreakthroughPipe Fire Near Houston Forces Residents to EvacuateTo Build a Happier City, Design for DensityLondon Mayor Plans to Pedestrianize Busy Oxford StreetNew York City’s Transit System Plans $65.4 Billion of Upgrades Stocks Hold Steady Ahead of Fed Rate Cut The moment the market has been building toward since late last year is finally here: The Federal Reserve is poised to cut interest rates today. The Dow was down 76 points, or 0.2% in Wednesday morning trading. The Nasdaq Composite was flat.