Today is the day: The Federal Reserve on Wednesday will lower interest rates for the first time in more than four years as the U.S. central bank starts to reverse the restrictive conditions it imposed to beat back inflation, but whether policymakers opt for a half-percentage-point cut or smaller move remains up in the air. Read more from Reuters.
Still adding: Dollar General and Dollar Tree, the nation’s largest dollar store chains, are together on track to open more than 1,300 new locations this fiscal year. That is down from last year. But it still far outpaces other retailers’ expansions, reflecting dollar store executives’ belief that new stores are the key to juicing sales and capturing market share. Read more from The Wall Street Journal.
On the rise: Mortgage rates came down again last week, and with the expectation that they could fall further, mortgage demand suddenly jumped, especially for refinancing. Read more from CNBC.