US factory orders down 1.3% in July

*BOSTIC: SEPTEMBER FED MEETING IS IN PLAY FOR A RATE CUT *BOSTIC: RISKS TO FED'S TWO MANDATES HAVE BECOME MORE BALANCED *FED'S BOSTIC: STILL SEE ONE RATE CUT AS APPROPRIATE FOR 2025 Fed's Bostic: Firms can't absorb higher tariffs much longer. Bostic: Focusing on Fundamentals Amid Great Complexity Understanding a $30 trillion economy, a chore at any time, is especially complicated as we proceed further into 2025. Uncertainty abounds. The full implications of trade policy remain unclear. It's not known how proposed federal deregulation and tax changes will manifest, nor the extent to which those shifts offset one another or tariff-related cost increases. Geopolitical uncertainties remain relevant. Complexity confronts not just policy makers like me. At nearly every stop in my travels across the Southeast, I poll audiences on who feels confident in their business forecast for the next six months. In recent weeks, nary a hand has gone up. For me, the job is calibrating monetary policy, which requires a clear read on the state of the US economy. Amid deep and wide complexity, I find that focusing on fundamentals helps to frame my thinking. So, before I detail my current economic and policy outlook, I will outline questions and tenets that underpin my policymaking process. These first principles, if you will, keep me locked in on the core mission. First, how is the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) faring relative to the goals Congress has assigned us—achieving price stability and sustained maximum employment? How do I think the economy will evolve with respect to the two core objectives? Committee participants must digest and analyze layer upon layer of data, anecdotal and survey feedback, research, the products of predictive models, and other material. Ultimately, though, the decision comes down to which is the greater risk: rising inflation or a deteriorating labor market. Of course, it's often not clear cut; the relative risks fall on a spectrum. Therefore, along with 18 other FOMC participants, I must determin

PUTIN: READY TO MEET ZELENSKIY Putin Says, "Let Zelenskyy Come to Moscow and the Meeting Will Happen" PUTIN: IF COMMON SENSE PREVAILS, THEN WE CAN AGREE ON ACCEPTABLE WAY TO END CONFLICT IN UKRAINE PUTIN: THERE IS LIGHT IN END OF TUNNEL PUTIN: OTHERWISE WE WILL HAVE TO RESOLVE THIS MILITARILY