Economic & Market Watch

In the News

Economy

• The Federal Reserve is weighing the third interest-rate cut of 2025 at its meeting this week, with internal divisions emerging on its policy direction.
• U.S. personal spending rose 0.3% month over month in September following a downwardly revised 0.5% gain in August, matching market expectations.

Markets

• West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures slipped to about $59/barrel today, with markets seeing a potential increase in Russian exports as talks toward a Ukraine ceasefire gain traction.
• Global equity and commodity markets are stalling ahead of the Fed’s decision later this week, with investors watching for signals on future rate cuts and economic outlook.

Current Events

• The French energy giant TotalEnergies has officially listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange—a move that underscores its growing focus on the U.S. energy market.
• IBM is buying Confluent Inc. for about $9.3 billion, marking one of its largest takeovers yet and a major bet on enterprise software that artificial intelligence tools need.

Meet the Team

CFC's economic research team—John Suter, Sam Kem and Antony Davies—share their expert, yet easily digestible, perspective on what you need to know.

Have feedback about the podcast? A topic you'd like the EMW team to cover? Get in touch at economicresearch@nrucfc.coop.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Trading Economics