Author: Paul Davidson, USA TODAY

Americans are thinking smaller when they move. A growing share move to less populated metro areas or small rural towns further out from urban cores.

Powell tells Congress Fed is poised to raise rates to curtail inflation despite Ukraine war, falling stock market. A quarter point bump appears likely.

Fed Chair Powell will testify Wednesday and may offer views on how much the central bank will raise rates this month and the impact of Russia’s war.

So far, beyond gasoline prices – which mostly have been stoked by fear – the impact of sanctions in the U.S. is expected to be limited.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine will mean a more severe impact than believed on the U.S. economy.

With the labor shortage and Great Resignation, some companies have automated the hiring process. You may be able to get a job without an interview.

Economy added booming 467,000 jobs in January despite omicron surge and unemployment rose to 4%.

As labor shortages drag on, restaurants slim down menus. Hotels pare back housekeeping and live events, and supermarkets limit the items they carry.

Job openings rose to 10.9M in December, close to record level, despite omicron spread. Job quitting eased slightly from record pace.

The economy expanded 5.7% in 2021, fastest in 37 years, as growth bounced back in Q4. Consumers partly got back to normal activities amid pandemic.