Gary Siegel

While members of the Federal Open Market Committee believe monetary policy is in a good place, several factors have the power to change that.

President Trump’s New Year’s Eve announcement that he will sign a phase one trade deal with China will offer some stability to those hurt most by the trade war and should allow the Federal Reserve to keep monetary policy accommodative, according to analysts.

Craig Bishop of RBC Wealth Management's portfolio advisory group, has retired and Tom Garretson will assume many of his responsibilities, the firm said.

The markets will build on 2019’s gains next year, as they withstood “trade tensions, impeachment, and geopolitical uncertainties” with the economy posting a record 11th year of expansion, according to economists.

Manufacturing activity contracted again in December, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s survey.

New home sales rose to 719,000 in November, from a downwardly revised 710,000 pace in October, first reported as a 733,000 pace, the Commerce Department said Monday.

With issuance for 2019 done, investors and money managers look forward to a new year — there is optimism that drivers of muni performance will carry over.

Gross domestic product grew at the expected 2.1% annualized pace in the third quarter, as economists wondered how long consumers will stay strong and offset soft business investment.

The markets suggest investors won't react to the impeachment of President Trump, while a mixed bag of indicators say the economy will continue growing at a moderate pace.

The economy should continue its moderate growth path, inflation may tick up, downside risks seem to have been put at bay by the Federal Reserve, and rates are likely to stay where they are, experts say.

Recession fears, which persisted earlier this year, have subsided and Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric Rosengren does not expect a downturn unless a major shock occurs.

With markets still digesting Friday’s news, one thing is clear: the Federal Reserve will keep rates steady.

Reports of a trade deal and an election that seems to cement Brexit don’t remove the uncertainties the Federal Reserve has been worrying about.

Inflation remains tame, and although the consumer price index has ticked up, producer prices surprised to the downside Thursday.

As expected the Federal Open Market Committee left rates at a range of 1.5% to 1.75%, with no officials dissenting, and the updated forecasts call for rates to remain there through 2020.

With Federal Reserve officials offering a united front on keeping interest rates steady, attention will focus on the Summary of Economic Projections and the repo market.

As the Federal Open Market Committee convenes for its final scheduled meeting this year, one where President Trump kept upping the political pressure, the 2020 elections threaten to make the situation worse.

The strength of Friday’s employment report confirms that growth will pick up and recession is unlikely before 2023, according to at least one expert.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed to $47.2 billion in October, the smallest shortfall since May 2018.

Peter Ireland, an economics professor at Boston College and a member of the Shadow Open Market Committee, discusses why the Fed’s 2019 “reversal” made sense, the economy, low inflation, how referencing a rule could help the Fed with monetary policy, and the biggest challenge facing the central bank. Gary Siegel hosts.