- Ohtani eyes MLB history after surpassing 50 stolen bases, 49 homers
- Ohtani eyes MLB history after surpassing 50 stolen bases
- Barca downed by Monaco as Arsenal held in Champions League stalemate
- Head's 'good night at office' after century seals win over England
- Dubois seeks legitimacy with Joshua scalp
- Rate cut could lift consumer spirits before US elections
- Last-gasp Gimenez strike sends Atletico past Leipzig
- Barca stumble at Monaco after early red card
- Raya heroics save Arsenal in Champions League opener at Atalanta
- Cathay Airbus engine fire linked to cleaning: EU regulator
- Guardians beat Twins to secure MLB playoff berth
- Jihadist attack in Mali capital killed more than 70: security sources
- Alonso hails 'efficient' Leverkusen after Feyenoord rout
- Head's hundred seals Australia win over England in 1st ODI
- Ex-Man United striker Anthony Martial joins AEK Athens
- NFL unbeatens meet as Texans visit Vikings, Steelers host Chargers
- Head's hundred seals Australia win over England in 1st ODI after Labuschagne strikes
- Dream debut for Wirtz as Leverkusen thump dire Feyenoord
- Myanmar flood death toll climbs to 293: state media
- Israel army says West Bank air strike kills 4 militants
- LIV golfers get green light for US Ryder Cup team, PGA Championship
- US accuses social media giants of 'vast surveillance'
- Ten Hag to bed Hojlund, Mount in carefully when they return for Man Utd
- Breaking bad as McIlroy endures 'weird' day
- EU chief announces $11 bn for nations hit by 'heartbreaking' floods
- Spanish PM, Palestinian leader urge Mideast de-escalation
- New study reinforces theory Covid emerged at Chinese market
- World Bank boosts climate financing by 10 percent
- Bagnaia eyeing summit on home ground in 100th MotoGP
- 'Something was wrong', defendant in French mass rape tells court
- Hezbollah chief admits 'unprecedented' blow in device blasts
- Sales of US existing homes slip slightly in August
- Fear, panic haunt Lebanese after devices explode
- Labuschagne sparks Australia fightback in England ODI opener
- S.Africa's HIV research power couple says fight goes on
- Why is Israel focusing on border with Lebanon?
- Mpox vaccines administered in Rwanda, first in Africa
- US Fed rate cut is 'very positive sign' for economy: Yellen
- Unknown Mozart string trio discovered in Germany
- 'Are we five-year-olds?' F1 drivers won't mind their language
- Brazil judge orders X to reimpose block or face hefty fine
- Munich to rename stadium street after Beckenbauer
- Champions Italy to face Argentina in Davis Cup Final 8
- The winding, fitful path to weight loss drug Ozempic
- Italians defeat American Magic to reach Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Norris has 'nothing to lose' as he hunts Verstappen in Singapore
- Kyiv 'outraged' at Swiss showing of Russian war film
- French city renames Abbe Pierre square after abuse claims
- Footballer charged after huge cannabis seizure at UK airport
- Vatican recognises Medjugorje shrine, but not Virgin's messages
US Fed rate cut is 'very positive sign' for economy: Yellen
The US central bank's decision to slash interest rates this week is a "very positive sign" for where the world's biggest economy stands, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday.
Yellen's remarks came a day after the Federal Reserve opted for an aggressive rate cut of half a percentage point, its first since 2020 as inflation cooled.
"It reflects confidence on the part of the Fed that inflation has come way down and is on the path back to the two percent target, and that the risks with respect to inflation have really meaningfully diminished," Yellen told an event in Washington.
"At the same time, we have a job market that remains strong," she said.
Yellen added that bringing down inflation successfully in the context of a robust jobs market -- known as a soft landing -- is "exactly what we're seeing in the economy."
Her comments came after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump charged Wednesday that the Fed's decision was either a response to a "very bad" economy, or it had been "playing politics."
Lower interest rates bring down the cost of borrowing and could be seen as beneficial to the White House administration ahead of November's presidential election -- with Vice President Kamala Harris the Democratic nominee.
But Fed Chair Jerome Powell stressed after announcing the rate reduction: "We're not serving any politician, any political figure, any cause, any issue."
On Thursday, Yellen also defended tariffs that President Joe Biden's administration recently hiked on Chinese goods, ranging from electric vehicles to batteries.
"These are areas where China has enormous excess capacity. We've made a conscious decision that in the area of clean energy, we want to develop this as an industry in the United States," she said.
"That's not to say we want to do everything entirely ourselves," Yellen said. "But we really want to reduce our dependence on China."
S.F.Warren--AMWN