Fed Odds Flip as Jobs Miss and Cooling Inflation Push Stocks to Record Highs

A surprise jobs miss and cooler wholesale inflation have traders betting the Fed holds rates in September, sending stocks to record highs even as 30-year Treasury yields sat at 19-year highs earlier in the week. Plus, Russia's state development bank fires its chief economist after he warned Moscow is losing the economic war of attrition. In this episode: • Fed may hold rates steady as cooling inflation and weak jobs data reduce hike odds — https://finance-commerce.com/2026/08/fed-interest-rates-inflation-jobs-outlook/ • U.S. stocks rally to record highs as inflation cools and oil prices drop — https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-ai-semiconductors-fed-energy-3a23f22469cd0e0062f711096906525c • Russia fires top economist after he warned the country is losing an economic 'war of attrition' — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/18/ukraine-war-russia-economy-klepach.html • 30-year Treasury yield tops 5.33%, a new 19-year high on inflation and spending concerns — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/18/treasury-yields-.html