Business inflation expectations in December remained steady at a 2.2% pace for the year-ahead outlook, according to the Atlanta Fed’s latest survey data. The current estimate is relatively middling for the range of results reported in 2025.

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Federal Reserve governor Chris Waller said he anticipates cutting interest rates further next year to support a slowing labor market. “The labor market’s telling you we should continue cutting the rates,” Waller said during a conversation at the Yale University CEO Summit. “We’re not seeing a dramatic decline of the labor market going off a cliff, just kind of just continuing to soften and soften. So, we can go at a moderate pace.”

Winter heating costs expected to rise 9.2%, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, a policy organization that represents state governments seeking federal funds for low-income home energy programs. The project rise is about three times the overall rate of inflation rate.

OpenAI is in discussions with Amazon about a potential investment and an agreement to use its artificial intelligence chips. The investment reportedly could exceed $10 billion.

Global coal demand is set to reach a record high for 2025 after the US recorded a rise. The IEA forecasts that global coal demand is now peaking and will fall 3% from current levels by 2030.

The rising gap in the 30-year Treasury yield over the Federal Reserve target rate highlights the market’s growing doubts about the central bank’s monetary policy, notes TMC Research, a unit of The Milwaukee Company. At issue is the lingering concern that inflation remains a risk factor for the Fed. The Fed counters that the recent weakness in the labor market is a more pressing concern, thus the decision to ease monetary policy.

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