The daily business briefing: November 30, 2017

Yellen tells Congress the economy is gaining strength, Snap unveils its Snapchat redesign, and more

The Snapchat logo on a tablet
(Image credit: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images)

1. Yellen says economic expansion gaining steam

Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen told a congressional committee on Wednesday that the U.S. economic expansion had broadened and strengthened, boosting expectations that the Fed will raise interest rates at its December meeting. Yellen told the Joint Economic Committee that the growth should continue. "Economic growth appears to have stepped up from its subdued pace early in the year," she said. "Moreover, the economic expansion is increasingly broad, based across sectors as well as across much of the global economy." Jerome Powell, President Trump's pick to succeed Yellen when her term ends in February, also said in his confirmation hearing this week that he expected the year's third interest-rate hike in December as the central bank eases back on policies it used to help lift the economy after the 2008 financial crisis.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.