Angelica Leicht is the senior editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com, where she writes and edits articles on a range of personal finance topics. Angelica previously held editing roles at The Simple Dollar, Interest, HousingWire and other financial publications. Another week, another set of critical data points.

Core inflation remained more or less unchanged last month, a setback for anyone hoping the Federal Reserve will move quickly to lower interest rates. Cuts are even less likely in the near term because the latest trade negotiations with China should reduce the threat of a U.

Tamer-than-expected inflation and a significant de-escalation of a U.S.-China trade war are easing fears of a sharp squeeze on American households and businesses in coming months, prompting Wall Street firms to pare predictions of a recession and giving the Federal Reserve room to leave interest rates where they are.

Investors are betting that the Federal Reserve is likely to keep interest rates on hold in the near term following another inflation reading that didn’t make things any easier for the central bank.

Efforts to stem inflation in the cost of services didn’t show much progress in April even though airfares continued to fall. That will help justify the Fed’s continued wait-and-see approach to cutting interest rates,

Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill said on Tuesday that he was worried about inflation in Britain proving stronger than expected by the central bank and interest rates might need to stay higher than investors are thinking.

Student loan interest rates for 2025 remain painfully high, adding pressure for borrowers already facing rising college costs and stalled forgiveness programs.

India’s inflation cooled further in April, creating room for deeper interest rate cuts by the central bank to bolster growth in Asia’s third largest economy.

Inflation slows to its lowest in three years, offering relief to consumers with signs of price stabilization across sectors like food and energy.