as inflation cools. from new york, our north america business correspondent michelle fleury sent this report. the december notes from the us central banks last meeting showed policymakers are feeling better about inflation. they agreed with investors that interest rates are at or near the peak for this cycle. they also agree it will come down this year. but they offered no clues as to how or when that will happen. to remind viewers, the federal reserve started raising rates in march 2022 to tame inflation. it did so 11 times, taking the benchmark rate to 5.5%. inflation, by the time of the last meeting, had dropped to 3.2% from a peak of 9.1%. meanwhile, new data out on wednesday showed the number ofjob openings in the united states fell to 8.79 million in november. this points to weaker demand for labour but is still well above pre covid levels. that is consistent with the fed s goal. to slow the economy without triggering a nasty recession. the feds first rate setting meeti
as of today, the bosses of britain s biggest companies will have made more money in 2024 so far than the typical worker makes all year. and that pay gap is growing. the average pay of the top ftse 100 chiefs amounts to £3.81 million per year, including pensions according to the think tank, the high pay centre. that s equivalent to wait for it £1,170 an hour 109 times the average worker whose median annual salary is just under £35,000. sorry to upset your lunch or dinner. joining me now is chris roebuck a global leadership expert who has worked in major organisations assessing senior leaders performance. hello, lovely to have you with us on the bbc. that will be tough to swallow, won t it? are those figures justified? i swallow, won t it? are those figures “ustified? ~ , ., swallow, won t it? are those figures ustified? ~ , ., ., ., justified? i think you need to ask the question. justified? i think you need to ask the question, lobbyists - justified? i thin
that s according to the think tank, the high pay centre who have calculated that the average pay of top bosses will overtake the average full time workers annual pay by 1300 gmt today. joining me now is susannah streeter. happy new year. anybody looking at those and struggling on an annual salary of 34,963, the average, will be aghast. take a through the figures. be aghast. take a through the fiaures. . , be aghast. take a through the fiaures. ., , ., , be aghast. take a through the fiaures. . , ., ,, figures. it really does stick in the craw, figures. it really does stick in the craw. doesn t figures. it really does stick in the craw, doesn t it? figures. it really does stick in the craw, doesn t it? this figures. it really does stick in the craw, doesn t it? this has - figures. it really does stick in the i craw, doesn t it? this has come out today and at a time when the cost of living crisis is still swelling in the uk and the ftse 100 has also the uk and the ftse10
if you have joined if you havejoined us, you are welcome and we are looking at the top business stories. we start here in the uk, where there is some relief for millions of people facing soaring housing costs. lenders have started the new year by slashing the cost of mortgages as financial markets bet the bank of england will soon begin to cut interest rates from their 15 year high. from today banking giant hsbc becomes the first major lender to bring back mortgages below 4% since last march. it comes as rival halifax slashed almost a percentage point off some of its mortgage rates this week. and it s raised hopes of a price war between banks. hsbc is offering a five year fixed rate mortgage at 3.94%. it s only available to people remortgaging their home not to first time buyers. but it s far below rates of almost 6.5% that borrowers were facing just a few months ago. and it will be a welcome development for many uk households as our cost of living correspondent kevin peach
Will hard line republicans now try to topple mccarthy . If i have to risk my job for standing up for the american public, i will do that and this bizarre moment, a democratic congressman pulling the fire alarm, what he says happened hundreds evacuated after a truck crashes leaking dangerous toxic gas into the air. Five People Killed in the collision. How dangerous is it . New videos of the epic flooding in New York City. Residents returning to their swamped homes, and the wild story of this sea lion escaping from the Central Park Zoo. The deadline tonight to head off the Biggest Health care strike ever what it means for patients from coast to coast. More than 40 million americans have to resume repaying their Student Loans starting tomorrow. What you need to know. And are these roundabouts the secret to ending Traffic Gridlock why more and more cities have commuters driving in circles. Announcer this is nbc nightly news with jose diazbalart. Good evening going into this weekend the fed