Hurricanes like Florence often disrupt economy, but only briefly

The damage caused by hurricane Florence could muddy the picture on the economy in the next month or two, but make no mistake: The U.S. is still growing rapidly and little is standing in its way.

Big storms usually cause hiccups in consumer spending and hurt businesses in the affected regions. Notable examples include Irma, Maria, Sandy and Katrina. Yet the effects on the gigantic U.S. economy rarely last long.

Kroger shares are closed Friday down 2.7% after a nearly 10% drop on Thursday

Kroger Co.’s most recent results indicate that Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. are both taking items out of Kroger’s grocery basket, gaining share as Kroger invests to keep pace.

Rising interest rates are making lines of credit more expensive… and Americans may still be leery of cash-out refis

American homeowners have amassed a record $6 trillion in equity in their properties, a figure boosted by surging home prices and a trend of owners staying put longer. But rising interest rates and caution resulting from the housing troubles of a decade ago are limiting how much of that equity is getting tapped.

Are the seasons and fortunes about to change for bitcoin?

Bitcoin is in the mud and HODLers, the accidental acronym for those who are holding and refusing to sell under any circumstance, will hang onto anything if it means their prized virtual possession could be on its way out of a brutal bear market.

‘The game-changer by the end of the year will likely be the U.S. mid-term elections,’ said SocGen analysts

The midterm elections could represent the peak for a U.S. stock market that has so far been resilient to political risks and trade fears.

Russian ruble rallies on rate increase

The U.S. dollar regained its strength on Friday following some favorable economic data, including a buoyant reading on consumer sentiment.

After starting the session on the defensive, the popular ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, +0.43% climbed 0.4% to 94.923. For the week, the gauge is still looking at a 0.5% drop, its worst performance in three weeks, according to FactSet.

Survey climbs in September to second highest peak since 2004

The numbers: The confidence of Americans in the U.S. economy and their own well-being rose toward the end of summer and stood near a 14-year high, according to a survey of consumer sentiment.

More new lows than new highs despite big gains in the market indexes warns that breadth is deteriorating

The Hindenburg Omen is materializing in the stock market, raising hackles among some market participants who closely watch for patterns that may portend ill for a stock market that has been knocking on the door to fresh highs.

Wall Street’s ‘fear index’ sees biggest weekly drop since April

U.S. stocks ended essentially unchanged on Friday, though slight gains were enough to give the S&P 500 its fifth straight positive session, while all three major indexes posted solid weekly gains.

Sterling, euro, Turkish lira rally

The U.S. dollar weakened against many of its major rivals on Thursday following a lower-than-expected reading for consumer price inflation.

The August consumer-price index rose 0.2%, compared with an expected 0.3% monthly rise. Core CPI for the same month came in 0.1% higher, versus the expectation of 0.2%.