WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cooling inflation data is allowing the Federal Reserve to begin a very reasonable shift toward easing rates, but a still-strong U.S. labor market means that there's no rush to make decisions, International Monetary Fund chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told Reuters. Gourinchas said in an interview accompanying the release of new IMF growth forecasts on Tuesday it is...

(Reuters) - Brokerage Charles Schwab's second-quarter profit fell 2%, hurt by higher interest paid on client deposits and its own borrowings. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT With the U.S. Federal Reserve holding onto interest rates, companies such as Charles Schwab ( SCHW ) have been paying higher interests on deposits. Meanwhile, Charles Schwab ( SCHW ) raked in higher fees, which partially...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. import prices were unchanged in June as lower prices for energy products offset a rebound in the cost of food, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Tuesday. The flat reading in import prices followed a 0.2% drop in May. Economists polled by Reuters had expected import prices, which exclude tariffs, to dip 0.1%. In the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. retail sales were unchanged in June and the underlying trend was strong, which could boost economic growth estimates for the second quarter. The flat reading in retail sales last month followed an upwardly revised 0.3% gain in May, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Tuesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales, which are...