Americans hoping for a drop in interest rates are going to have to wait it out. The federal reserve says they are keeping rates steady, but last month it was announced two rate cuts were coming in 2025.

Amid a time of financial uncertainty, with on-again, off-again tariffs and even fears of a recession, some locals tell me they're paying attention to the trends but it's not stopping them from making big purchases.

Tariffs on steel and aluminum products coming into the U.S. have increased to 25%, and President Donald Trump has removed exemptions from previous tariffs. The president says higher tariffs will help create jobs in the U.S., but the increases have stoked fears of a recession and led to massive selloffs in the stock market.

President Donald Trump vows to place 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada starting Tuesday. He also asserts tariffs on China will increase to 20%. Trump says the tariffs are meant to get countries to crack down harder on fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. as well as step up the fight at the border. The tariff threat has sent the stock market plunging.

President Donald Trump’s tariff policy has, so far, been stop-and-go. Earlier this month, he announced a 25 percent import tariff on Canada and Mexico, then paused it for a month. He’s added new duties to the import of steel and aluminum, expanded tariffs on China and plans to pursue reciprocal tariffs across a host of nations and industries.

Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip have posted five consecutive months of year-over-year declines in gaming revenue. Gambling parlors in downtown Las Vegas and along the Boulder Strip have reported decreases in three of the past four months of available data.

When the economy shifts no bells ring, smoke signals rise or, more contemporarily, smartphone alerts sound. You may not even notice, but economists do. So, when the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee, aka the lords of interest rates, cut rates by 50 basis points in September and another 25 basis points in November, economists and market analysts took notice.

For decades, a home with a spacious backyard has symbolized the American suburban dream. But in Las Vegas, that dream is evolving as developers embrace smaller lots and denser rental communities to address the valley’s housing crisis. The trend is sparking heated debates among residents.