Junk Bonds  

Tesla's CEO is encountering an experienced jurist on Thursday.

Randal Quarles, the Federal Reserve's vice chair for supervision, says regulators need to be vigilant about new risks from lenders that operate outside of the strictest banking-industry rules - as well as from the increasing push by technology companies into lending and asset management.

The Census Bureau reports that new orders for manufactured durable goods orders increased by 1.2% in December, below economists' average forecast for a 1.7% increase.

Minutes from the Fed's January meeting also show the Federal Open Market Committee discussed terminating or modifying a plan to reduce the central bank's roughly $4 trillion balance sheet.

Loans to companies with low credit ratings swelled by 15% last year to $1.3 trillion, prompting warnings from the Federal Reserve and International Monetary Fund. Yet Wall Street firms that are deeply immersed in the market, from banks including JPMorgan Chase to private-equity firms like Blackstone, say they don't see what the problem is.

The entertainment giant's mounting debt load is giving analysts pause about the potential of its share price.

Here is some advice on what we can expect next from the Trump administration -- and how to position your portfolio for these wild swings.

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to boost the benchmark for short-term borrowing costs at a meeting that concludes Wednesday. Fed officials may also signal that they might pause or halt the rate-hiking campaign early next year.

The evidence that inflation Is slowing Is mostly circumstantial.

Bonds soar to 73.5 cents on the dollar on improved company cash flow.