Every weekend, I recap “news you can use” from the week — a handful of quotes from major (and often expensive) news sources — so you can stay up to date on the news that affects your money without spending a dime and in less than a minute.
Here’s an overview of what happened this week.
Consumer prices rose 2.4% annually in January, less than expected (Feb. 13, CNBC):
Excluding food and energy, core CPI also was up 2.5%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for an annual rate of 2.5% for both readings.
On a monthly basis, the all-items index was up 0.2% while core gained 0.3%. The forecast had been 0.3% for both.
Homes Sales in January Posted Biggest Monthly Decline in Nearly Four Years (Feb. 12, Wall Street Journal):
Home sales fell 8.4% in January, the biggest monthly decline since February 2022, after snowstorms and low consumer confidence slowed a housing market that was showing signs of recovery.
Sales of existing homes fell from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.91 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.
Low jobless claims point to further decline in unemployment rate and improved labor market (Feb. 12, MarketWatch):
Initial jobless claims declined by 5,000 to 227,000 in the seven days ended Feb. 7, the government said, nudging them back down toward recent lows.
The four-week average of new claims moved up slightly to 219,500, but it’s basically unchanged compared to one year ago. New claims are running near the lowest levels since the 1960s.
Federal Deficit Shrinks for the Fourth Straight Month (Feb. 12, Barron’s):
The fiscal situation in the U.S. has improved as more money has come in through tariffs, while tax revenue has increased thanks to higher individual wage growth. At the same time, the Trump administration has slashed funding for key agencies.
The U.S. brought in 12% more cash so far this fiscal year than at this time a year ago, while outlays have grown by only 1%. The fiscal year started in October.
10-year Treasury yield moves higher on stronger-than-expected January jobs report (Feb. 11, CNBC):
Treasury yields across the curve surged higher in reaction to January job growth that was more than double what Wall Street economists had expected.
The 10-year Treasury yield jumped to 4.182%, up more than 3 basis points, while the 2-year Treasury note yield soared more than 6 basis points to 3.518%, reflecting reduced expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate reductions the rest of this year.
US Adds 130,000 Jobs and Unemployment Falls After Tepid 2025 (Feb. 11, Bloomberg):
The January data reinforces Federal Reserve officials’ inclination to keep interest rates on hold for now. Many traders appeared to push out their timeline for the next rate cut to July from June.
Separately, the employment report showed average hourly earnings rose a solid 0.4% from December.
Mortgage delinquency rates for people in America’s lowest-income areas haven’t been this high since 2016 (Feb. 10, MarketWatch):
Mortgage delinquencies in lower-income ZIP codes reached 3% by late 2025, a 10-year high, up from 0.5% in 2021.
Overall, the rate of serious mortgage delinquency was 1.3% in 2025, with increases linked to rising unemployment and falling home prices.
Disappointing holiday season: December retail sales were flat, falling well short of estimate (Feb. 10, CNBC):
Consumer activity slowed sharply for the December holiday shopping season amid a spate of rough weather, tariff impact and persistently higher inflation, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
On an annual basis, sales rose 2.4%, a considerable step down from the 3.3% pace in November. Sales ex-autos were up 3.3% annually in December. A measure known as the “control group” of sales that excludes a number of items and feeds directly into gross domestic product calculations showed a 0.1% drop for the month.
Is the U.S. economy creating any jobs? Is inflation really slowing? Investors are about to find out. (Feb. 9, MarketWatch):
The Federal Reserve’s primary concern has shifted from the jobs market to persistent inflation, with key reports due this week.
Economists predict a 55,000 increase in new jobs for January, with the unemployment rate holding at 4.4%, following a recovery in late 2025.
January’s consumer price index is expected to show a 0.3% increase, with the yearly inflation rate potentially slowing to 2.5% from 2.7%.
About me
I founded Money Talks News in 1991. I’m a CPA, and I have also earned licenses in stocks, commodities, options principal, mutual funds, life insurance, securities supervisor and real estate.