*By Carlo Versano*
The White House dispatched chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow to speak to reporters Thursday morning as markets turned deep red in a day marked by volatility and which added to the sell-off in tech stocks.
Kudlow told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin the administration remains bullish on the economy ー and he noted that the tech sector, in particular, was up 50 percent since President Trump's election, "even with this correction."
"That ain't bad," he said.
Kudlow wouldn't disclose whether he advises Trump to speak less critically of the actions of the Federal Reserve ー for which presidents typically reserve a church-and-state type attitude. Trump, for his part, called the Fed "loco" on Wednesday for raising interest rates.
Kudlow told Cheddar: "The advice I give to the president is the advice I give to the president. It's entirely private."
The White House budget office says mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.
Rep. John Moolenaar has requested an urgent briefing from the White House after Trump supported a deal giving Americans a majority stake in TikTok.
