HANOI, Vietnam — Asian countries are offering to buy more U.S. liquefied natural gas in negotiations with the Trump administration as a way to alleviate tensions over U.S. trade deficits and forestall higher tariffs. Analysts warn that strategy could undermine those countries’ long-term ...
The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage edged up this week, ending a five-week decline in borrowing costs for homebuyers. The long-term rate ticked up to 6.72% from 6.67% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.89%. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose. The average rate increased to 5.86% from 5.80% last week. A year ago, it was 6.17%, Freddie Mac said. High mortgage rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers and reduce their purchasing ...
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining in the historically healthy range of the past couple years. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending July 5 fell by 5,000 to 227,000, fewer than the 238,000 that ...
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 147,000 jobs in June as the American labor market continues to show surprising resilience despite uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s economic policies. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% from 4.2% in May, the Labor Department said ...
If you’re a do-it-yourself investor aiming to build a “no babysitter required” portfolio, here are the key steps to take. Step 1: Find your portfolio’s true north Give due consideration to your asset allocation. That decision will have the biggest impact on how your portfolio behaves in the future. The tricky part about asset allocation, even a hands-off approach, is that the “right” asset allocation is often a moving target as retirement approaches. Target-date funds elegantly address this issue by transitioning to a more conservative stance as the years go by. If ...
WILLIAMSPORT — Woodlands Bank recently announced and welcomed Nathan Steinbacher to their Commercial Lending team. He joins the organization as a commercial loan officer. Steinbacher was born and raised in Lycoming County where he continues to plant his roots with his family. He has more ...
