Inflation

President Biden said fighting inflation is his "top domestic priority" in an economic speech at the White House Tuesday morning and laid out his ...

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

Until recently, inflation and interest rates had been on a secular downtrend after peaking in the early 1980s.

This makes sense since inflation is as likely to surprise to the upside as it is to surprise to the downside. That said, TIPS would have presumably performed well, as high inflation rates would have been passed through to investors, and real yields (nominal yields minus inflation) fell over the decade (i.e., nominal interest rates didn’t keep up with surging inflation). We separate gold from the broader commodity basket because it serves as a storehold of wealth and is the oldest currency in the world. This publication is for educational, illustrative and informational purposes only and does not represent investment advice or a recommendation of or as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any particular security, strategy or investment product, or any Evoke Advisors investment product mentioned herein. Given the growing risks of inflation surprising to the upside for an extended period (particularly since the market is still pricing in low inflation longer-term), this doesn’t seem to be a bet that investors would knowingly wish to make. Commodity stocks performed well during the 1970s and have done better than the broad stock market during rising inflation environments, including thus far in 2022. By investing in the underlying commodities, investors can effectively hedge the risk of rising prices. U.S. stocks underperformed inflation and trailed the return of cash over the full decade, returning 5.8% per annum versus 6.3% for cash and 7.4% for inflation. Many investors seem to think that stocks are a good inflation hedge, but historically they have been the opposite – slightly underperforming cash during rising inflation environments. The first focuses on an inflationary decade, the 1970s – the last extended period when inflation unexpectedly soared to record levels. A company’s value is primarily driven by its long-term profitability and the discount rate used to value those future cashflows. Until recently, inflation and interest rates had been on a secular downtrend after peaking in the early 1980s.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine for troubling economic news as he and his administration went on the ...

"My plan is to lower everyday costs for hardworking Americans. And lower the deficit by asking large corporations and the wealthiest Americans to not engage in price gouging and to pay their fair share in taxes," Biden said. "The Republican plan is to increase taxes on the middle class families, let billionaires and large companies off the hook as they raise profits, raise prices and reap profits at record amounts. It's a significant messaging shift for a President who campaigned on unifying the country and turning down the political temperature and comes as Democrats scramble for an effective campaign message six months out from Election Day. Last week the Federal Reserve announced it was taking aggressive action to lower inflation and is raising interest rates by a half-percentage point -- something it hasn't done in 22 years. He also cited his proposals to raise taxes on billionaires and other super-wealthy Americans and lower prescription drug prices for millions of Americans by letting Medicare negotiate drug prices, saying those ideas could help bring down inflation. The Senate is currently split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats.

Rising prices could hurt President Biden's party in the midterms, and on Tuesday he sought to turn the debate over the economy against his opponents.

Mr. Biden blamed the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine for inflation. It is typically expressed as the annual change in prices for everyday goods and services such as food, furniture, apparel, transportation and toys. I come from a family where, when the price of gas or food went up, we felt it.” “I know families across America are hurting because of inflation. Inflation is a loss of purchasing power over time, meaning your dollar will not go as far tomorrow as it did today. Mr. Biden delivered his remarks a day before another economic report was expected to show uncomfortably high prices.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller pledged that the rate-setting group wouldn't make the same mistakes on inflation that it did in the 1970s.

Waller said he had a conversation with the former chair before his death, and Volcker said, "If I had known what was going to happen, I never would have done it." "The labor market is strong. "They had zero credibility, so Volcker just basically said, 'I've got to just do this shock and awe,'" Waller said.

Tax reductions and rebates that are being proposed to help people cope could have the unintended effect of pushing prices higher.

The broad effects of tax policy on inflation are not easy to forecast. “It’s easier to move, and the places you can move to are much more cosmopolitan than they used to be.” The state tax cuts are taking place as the Biden administration struggles to respond to rising prices. Gov. Laura Kelly backed a bill last month that would phase out the 6.5 percent grocery sales tax in Kansas, lowering it next January and bringing it to zero by 2025. So far, the White House has resisted calls for a gas tax holiday, though Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said in April that President Biden was open to the idea. Fitch, the credit rating agency, said recently that immediate and permanent tax cuts could be risky in light of evolving economic conditions. The tax cuts are coming in a variety of forms and sizes. The Federal Reserve has begun raising interest rates in an attempt to cool economic growth, and there are growing concerns about the potential for another recession. Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, hailed the tax cuts as the largest in the state’s history. “The problem was there was just too much money for states and localities.” “I think all these tax cuts in states are adding to inflation,” Mr. Furman said. While the Biden administration has restricted states from using relief money to directly subsidize tax cuts, many governments have been able to find budgetary workarounds to do just that without violating the rules.

President Joe Biden will outline his efforts to fight inflation and lower consumer prices in a speech from the White House on Tuesday.

Asked about Biden going after his 11-point plan and Biden say he would be putting it up on the White House website, Scott stood by it. The plan calls for raising federal income taxes on many Americans, banning debt ceiling increases unless America is at war, and requiring all federal programs to expire every five years, unless they are renewed by Congress. "Those two major contributors to inflation are both global in nature," Biden said. Wages have also risen, while the unemployment rate stands at 3.6 percent. "I never anticipated that happening." Inflation, which is at its highest levels in decades, has become a top concern for voters.

President Joe Biden in a speech on Tuesday launched a pointed attack against what he called “ultra-MAGA” Republican plans to address the economy and spiking ...

“Unlike my predecessor, the deficit has gone down both years I have been here,” he said. But while Republicans have opposed much of the Biden administration agenda, the president’s party holds the majority in both houses of Congress and has nonetheless failed to deliver on several White House priorities. He also outlined his administration’s efforts to reduce the federal deficit. “The most effective thing Joe Biden can do to solve the inflation crisis he created is resign. Such a plan, Biden said, would put those programs “on the chopping block every five years” and would allow Republicans to use them as negotiating pieces. Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for this election cycle, offered his own scathing critique of Biden as in a statement released ahead of the president’s remarks.

The US central bank's interest-rate increases may lead to somewhat higher unemployment as it attempts to bring about a “soft landing” while tackling high ...

“Our monetary policy actions will cool the demand side of the equation,” Williams said. Inflation in the 12 months through March was 6.6%, according to the Fed’s preferred gauge, marking the highest reading in 40 years. In his prepared remarks, the New York Fed chief outlined a scenario in which higher interest rates would help bring the inflation rate down to “nearly 4%” before declining to “about 2.5%” in 2023 and returning close to the Fed’s 2% target in 2024.

Inflation rates have been increasing sharply since August 2021 and have been out of the normal 2%-to-4% range for a full year.

President Biden said Tuesday that soaring inflation was "a real tough problem to solve" and warned it could get worse before it gets better -- while ...

We’re reducing that,” Biden said, despite the fact that the federal debt continues to grow. Biden said that could result in the demise of Social Security and higher costs for millions of people. Even among Democrats, 41% disapprove of Biden’s response. Biden attacked Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), chairman of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, who recently suggested that all Americans pay at least some taxes and that all laws expire after five years. But it’s not because of spending,” he insisted. Tuesday’s event came on the eve of Wednesday’s announcement of April’s Consumer Price Index figure, which economists expect to come in at 8.1%. We’ve got a GDP that is declining. “It ranges depending on which economists you’re talking to — by the end of this year and some say it’s going to be, it’s going to increase next year. We’ve got a stock market going down. But there’s others who say by the end of this year, you’re gonna see it come down, by the [end of the] calendar year. They understand it, but they have, you know, they’re working eight, 10 hours a day just to put food on the table,” Biden said during an event at the White House-adjacent Old Executive Office Building. “They get a five-and-a-half percent raise, average raise, in their salaries.

Rising prices could hurt President Biden's party in the midterms, and on Tuesday he sought to turn the debate over the economy against his opponents.

It is typically expressed as the annual change in prices for everyday goods and services such as food, furniture, apparel, transportation and toys. Mr. Biden blamed the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine for inflation. I come from a family where, when the price of gas or food went up, we felt it.” Inflation is a loss of purchasing power over time, meaning your dollar will not go as far tomorrow as it did today. Here is what the increases mean for consumers. “I know families across America are hurting because of inflation. Americans have a choice right now between two paths. Mr. Biden delivered his remarks a day before another economic report was expected to show uncomfortably high prices. “I understand what it feels like. “Look, the bottom line is this. “Biden might be living in an alternate reality, but voters are not, which is why they solely blame Biden and Democrats for the rising prices they see for everyday goods, gas, and groceries,” said Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee. “The economy is on the ballot in November, and voters know Biden and Democrats are only making it worse.” President Biden, on the defense for months over rising inflation, sought to convince Americans on Tuesday that he understood the pain they were feeling from rising prices and that his administration was taking steps to address higher costs for fuel, food and other goods.

When Fed rate hikes to combat inflation cause stocks to plunge, investors worried about their investments are finding ways to work their cash.

If you take withdrawals early, you may have to pay a steep fee, or if you take all or part of your money from tax-deferred indexed annuities before age 59½, you may have to pay a 10% federal tax penalty. For those with a longer time horizon, equity-indexed annuities, offered through insurance companies, have attributes of both stock and bond investments. They’ve gotten a lot of attention lately because for the bonds issued from May through October, the combined rate is 9.62%. If inflation doesn’t rise beyond that, investors will come out ahead. Holding short-term T-bills, whose terms range from a few days to 52 weeks, is like holding cash because they are liquid enough that your money will be easily accessible, but you earn a small return on them, advisers said. For a bit more return, consider an ultra-short bond fund that invests in a wide range of securities, including corporate debt, government securities, mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities. If you go this route, be sure to check the interest rates on these accounts. But beware, TIPS have a major tax disadvantage. These rates have room to rise thanks to the Federal Reserve's rate hikes. “Those are great rates, but you won’t have a lot of flexibility because you might be only allowed so many transactions per year. They pay out only at the 30-year maturity, so there’s no regular income. Their regular, semiannual interest payments are enticing for people seeking current income. That means the full principal, or initial investment, will always be repaid upon maturity.

U.S. President Joe Biden, under pressure to tame high inflation, told Americans on Tuesday that he understands their plight and that he and the U.S. Federal ...

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has rejected Scott's calls to tax Americans who pay no income tax and to sunset Social Security and Medicare entitlements. Democrats are defending narrow majorities in the Nov. 8 congressional elections that will determine who controls the Senate and House of Representatives. The U.S. central bank raised interest rates by half a percentage point last week and is expected to roll out additional hikes this year. Biden said the U.S. Federal Reserve should and will do its job to control it. "They're frustrated," Biden said of Americans paying more for goods and services across the board. Republicans and some economists have said the spending also fueled inflation.

Rising prices are crushing Americans at the pump and in the grocery aisle, and they could end up crushing Democrats at the polls in November, too.

“The economy is on the ballot in November, and voters know Biden and Democrats are only making it worse.” That, again, appears clear to Biden, who took the time to hammer Republicans’ plans for containing costs. Theoretically, higher interest rates should lower consumer demand for big-ticket items (homes, cars, etc.), as it increases the cost to borrow money. In March, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was up 8.5% year-over-year, the highest in almost 40 years. Politics aside, inflation numbers have been downright ugly, and it’s put many Americans in a very tight squeeze. That was clearly on President Biden’s mind today as he attempted to soothe concerns about rising prices during a speech from the White House.

Goods and services are getting much more expensive, and gas prices have hit another high. The recognized cure for inflation is to raise interest rates and ...

"We've had decades of easy money, and the bill is now coming due," said Rana Foroohar, CNN's global economic analyst. "The purpose of raising interest rates is to take the air out of the sails of the economy. Other members of the committee that sets rates are appointed for shorter terms. "The history of engineering soft landings is not encouraging, however. The idea is that inflation would be brought under control but the higher interest rates don't push the entire economy into recession. , with some exceptions, are not the subject of long and divisive confirmation battles.

Central bankers have been asking whether they should have reacted faster to rising inflation last year — and are learning from the recent past.

Still, several Fed officials pointed out that it was easier to say what the Fed should have done in 2021 after the fact — that in the moment, it was difficult to know price increases would last. “So we’re leaving ourselves room to look at the data and make a decision as we get there.” “If there’s guidance that the committee feels bound to honor,” he added, it can be complicated for the Fed to move through a sequence of policy moves. “Policy is set by a large committee of up to 12 voting members and a total of 19 participants in our discussions,” he said during a speech last week. Markets began to adjust as the Fed sped up its plans to remove policy support throughout the fall, which is making money more expensive to borrow and starting to slow down economic conditions. While Mr. Powell said the Fed was thinking about half-point increases at its next two meetings, he gave no clear guidance about what would follow. If the Fed continues to rapidly adjust policy this year as it tries to catch up, policymakers risk slamming the brakes on a speeding economy. It is typically expressed as the annual change in prices for everyday goods and services such as food, furniture, apparel, transportation and toys. The Fed is now raising rates quickly to wrestle the situation back under control. By the time the Fed completely stopped buying bonds and began raising rates in March, prices were rising 8.5 percent from a year earlier, the fastest rate since 1981. He also sought to push back on Republicans, who have spent months blaming him for stoking inflation, saying their policy ideas were “extreme” and would hurt working families. Inflation began to accelerate last spring, but Fed policymakers and most private-sector forecasters initially thought price gains would quickly fade.

President Joe Biden will unveil his plan to fight inflation Tuesday from the White House on the same day gas prices hit a record high of $4.37 per gallon.

is the contrast, and the contrast that his plan, and the plan he has been implementing for months now, draws with those on the other side of the aisle, who has not — who have not put forward any plan to lower costs for the American people. While Biden is going after an 11-point plan offered by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, many Republicans are not on board with Scott’s plan. The White House said Biden will call on Congress to make oil companies pay fees on idled wells and non-producing acres on federal lands, “so that companies that continue to sit on excess capacity will have to choose whether to start producing or pay a fee.”

In the wake of the 50-basis-point interest rate hike by an increasingly hawkish Federal Reserve, markets have gyrated wildly ahead of this week's U.S. ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Any number at or below consensus on Wednesday would likely be welcomed by investors. "Corporations have been able to pass on higher costs as demand remains strong," Carter added. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Economists warn that prices could remain elevated. The issue is how fast inflation could decline when it comes to determining how the Federal Reserve will ...

"For the Fed to be pacified that inflation is coming down, we need to get a really weak core CPI print," she said. "But if we get that acceleration in core back to 0.5% that we are projecting, that's a problem for the Fed. If you annualize that, you're running at 6%, and that would really mean no slowdown." Economists say energy will be a bigger issue in May data, since gasoline is rising to record levels again. This is the labor market," she said. "I don't think this is the end of the drawdown in the market … The market needs to go down 20% at a minimum. If we get a series of better inflation data, then I think 20% could be the bottom," Roth said. Markowska noted the central bank assumes inflation will slow to 4% this year and 2.5% next year. This is the services sector. Roth said there are two potential exogenous risks in inflation data, and either could prove to be a problem for markets. She thinks the market's focus is wrong and investors should be concerned more with how much inflation can decline. A hotter report would be a negative since it could mean the Fed will take an even tougher stance on interest rates. The April data is expected at 8:30 a.m. ET Wednesday.

China is set to release its inflation data for April at 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN on Wednesday, as the mainland continues to battle a Covid outbreak.

"The consensus of US economists expect headline inflation to decelerate significantly from 1.2%/mth in March to only 0.2%/mth in April because retail petrol prices have stabilised. "Even in Shanghai, 70% of [the] manufacturing capacity is online. The U.S. April consumer price index is also set to be released Wednesday stateside, and is expected to come in slightly below March's 8.5% which could signal that inflation has reached a peak. Consumer inflation also rose more than expected. The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 103.852 — continue to hold above levels below 103.8 seen earlier in the week. - The U.S. April consumer price index is also set to be released Wednesday stateside, and is expected to come in slightly below March's 8.5% which could signal that inflation has reached a peak. "The US CPI for April is today's, indeed the week's, highlight," Joseph Capurso, head of international economics at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, wrote in a note. China's producer price index for April rose 8% year-on-year, data released by the country's Bureau of Statistics showed Wednesday, higher than expectations for a 7.7% increase by analysts in a Reuters poll. "China's going to be struggling with a lot of economic issues including the supply chain and inflation factors but I'm a little less worried about supply chain than I perhaps was six months ago," Andrew Collier, managing director at Orient Capital Research, told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Wednesday. The consumer price index climbed 2.1% year-on-year, above expectations for a 1.8% gain by analysts in a Reuters poll. - China's producer price index for April rose 8% year-on-year, higher than expectations for a 7.7% increase by analysts in a Reuters poll. China's going to be struggling with a lot of economic issues including the supply chain and inflation factors but I'm a little less worried about supply chain than I perhaps was six months agoAndrew CollierManaging Director, Orient Capital Research

After a year of soaring prices for gas, food and other necessities, inflation may have eased slightly in April from a 40-year high, the first slowdown after ...

The unexpected persistence of high inflation has caused the Fed to embark on what may become its fastest series of interest rate increases in 33 years. Core inflation also typically rises more slowly than the overall price increases but can also take longer to decline. Price increases decelerated last August and September, suggesting at the time that higher inflation might be temporary, as many economists — and officials at the Federal Reserve — had suggested. That may have effect of easing the year-over-year inflation rate. Last week, the Fed raised its benchmark short-term rate by a half-point, its steepest increase in two decades. Economists say such an outcome is possible but unlikely with inflation this high. He said his administration will help ease price increases by shrinking the government’s budget deficit and by fostering competition in industries, like meatpacking, that are dominated by a few industry giants. If the European Union decides, for example, to cut off Russian oil, gas prices in the United States would likely accelerate. Used car prices are also expected to have dropped last month. Many economists expect annual price increases to settle into a 5% to 6% range by year’s end, a historically high level that will probably exceed average wage gains. Earlier signs that U.S. inflation might be peaking didn’t last. China’s COVID lockdowns are worsening supply problems and hurting growth in the world’s second-biggest economy.

Biden lays out his plan on prices, but he'd do better if he did the opposite.

You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. The President again called on Congress to pass his Build Back Better, er, sorry, “Building a Better America” plan including more subsidies for green energy, electric cars, child care, housing and more. He should take Jerry Seinfeld’s advice to George Costanza and do the opposite of his every policy instinct.

After a year of soaring prices for gas, food and other necessities, inflation may have eased slightly in April from a 40-year high, the first slowdown after ...

The unexpected persistence of high inflation has caused the Fed to embark on what may become its fastest series of interest rate increases in 33 years. Core inflation also typically rises more slowly than the overall price increases but can also take longer to decline. Price increases decelerated last August and September, suggesting at the time that higher inflation might be temporary, as many economists — and officials at the Federal Reserve — had suggested. That may have effect of easing the year-over-year inflation rate. Last week, the Fed raised its benchmark short-term rate by a half-point, its steepest increase in two decades. Economists say such an outcome is possible but unlikely with inflation this high. He said his administration will help ease price increases by shrinking the government’s budget deficit and by fostering competition in industries, like meatpacking, that are dominated by a few industry giants. If the European Union decides, for example, to cut off Russian oil, gas prices in the United States would likely accelerate. Used car prices are also expected to have dropped last month. Many economists expect annual price increases to settle into a 5% to 6% range by year’s end, a historically high level that will probably exceed average wage gains. Earlier signs that U.S. inflation might be peaking didn’t last. China’s COVID lockdowns are worsening supply problems and hurting growth in the world’s second-biggest economy.

Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester said she favors half-point interest-rate increases but would support bigger increments later if ...

Should the Fed get to the second half of the year and there is no evidence of inflation easing, “we may have to speed up. But if we see inflation moving down and demand down more than we might be predicting, then we can adjust at that point.” “We don’t rule out 75 forever, right?

The Labor Department is releasing the highly anticipated consumer price index on Tuesday morning, providing a fresh look at just how hot inflation ran in ...

"Assuming that economic and financial conditions evolve in line with expectations, there is a broad sense on the committee that additional 50 basis point increases should be on the table at the next couple of meetings." Rising inflation is eating away at strong gains in wages and salaries that American workers have seen in recent months — bad news for President Biden, who has seen his approval rating plunge as consumer prices rose. Officials also announced that they will start reducing the Fed's massive $9 trillion balance sheet, which nearly doubled in size during the pandemic as the central bank bought mortgage-backed securities and other Treasurys to keep borrowing cheap. "Inflation is much too high, and we understand the hardship it is causing, and we are moving expeditiously to bring it back down," Powell said last week. Chairman Jerome Powell signaled that the Fed is prepared to take even more steps to reduce demand and "expeditiously" cool inflation, all but promising that there are future half-point rate hikes on the table at forthcoming Fed meetings. "April’s figures should show that inflation peaked last month, both at the headline level and excluding food and energy," said Tim Drayson, chief U.S. economist at Legal and General Investment Management. "But inflation is still likely to overshoot the Fed’s target over the next couple of years and require further hikes beyond the aggressive repricing now expected by markets."

Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said that lowering inflation is the U.S. central bank's main mission now and he doesn't think that ...

- Saks Fifth Avenue:$20 off sitewide + free shipping - Saks Fifth Avenue coupon You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. - Kohl's:Kohl's coupon - 30% off for Rewards members

Congress says DoD's budget isn't big enough for price increases, however lawmakers hold the purse strings…

Likewise, we are concerned that the department does not have an adequate understanding of the challenges facing the industrial base.” “On the other hand, they didn’t send the budget in until the end of March, which gave them a lot of time to make adjustments if they really had wanted to. “I think Republicans’ biggest qualms are that the assumptions were wrong.” On the other hand, they did not take advantage of the extra time that they had to redo the inflation calculations.” “At the very least, they should be collecting necessary data, establishing a governance framework and conducting regular touchpoints with all stakeholders. But, budget officials created the budget months beforehand in preparation of explaining DoD’s needs to lawmakers. “I’m very comfortable with what we have built out and capabilities that we need to do that. According to Seamus Daniels, associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), DoD thought the inflation would level out at 2%. All of those numbers are taken into account to come to a final average DoD uses. The word inflation is being bantered about in Congress relating to the Pentagon’s 2023 budget quite a bit as senior leaders justify their funding decisions for the upcoming year. “This budget assumes an inflation rate of 2.2%,” Milley said. “Right now it’s almost 8%. It might go up, it might go down, but most forecasts indicate it’s going to go up and it could level out at 9% or 10%. Who knows? It doesn’t measure what average consumers feel in price changes, mainly because DoD is not buying things the same way as U.S. citizens.

Inflation hasn't been a hot topic for decades. Now that it's back, it's clear consumers and businesses dislike it. Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin ...

Once we get in the range of the neutral rate, we can then determine whether inflation remains at a level that requires us to put the brakes on the economy or not. Inflation is also inherently redistributive — in the ‘70s, those who owned a house with a cheap mortgage benefitted; those on fixed incomes didn’t. Those who had wages indexed to inflation did better than those who didn’t. And inflation adds to your workload. There are estimates that the average U.S. household will have to spend over $5,000 more this year compared to last year for the same consumption basket, and that impacts those who have a tighter monthly budget. At 83 basis points, we are still far from the level of interest rates that constrains the economy; for my colleagues on the FOMC, this neutral rate is in the range of 2-3 percent. That is remarkable given the strength of the economy and the job market. The pain of inflation tends to hit low- and fixed-income populations the most. And on social media, a widely shared post jokes that in 2020 we couldn’t leave the house because of COVID-19; now, we can’t leave because of skyrocketing gas prices. Well, no one likes to deal with change, and we haven’t had to think about inflation for over a generation. They feel powerless in the face of cost increases that tax their revenues, earnings and appreciation they have worked to achieve. Prior to the pandemic, the focus was on how to move inflation up, not down. These are my views alone and not those of any of my colleagues on the FOMC or in the Federal Reserve System. But since the mid-‘90s, inflation has been low and stable.

After a year of soaring prices for gas, food and other necessities, inflation may have eased slightly in April from a 40-year high, the first slowdown after ...

Wednesday's figures will keep the Fed on track to implement what may become its fastest series of interest rate increases in 33 years, economists said. Food prices rose 1% from March to April and nearly 11% from a year ago. Last week, the Fed raised its benchmark short-term rate by a half-point, its steepest increase in two decades. One of the Fed's biggest concerns is that Americans might start to expect chronically high inflation, which can make rising prices harder to bring under control because such expectations can be self-fulfilling. The escalation of consumer inflation has forced many Americans, particularly people with lower or fixed incomes, to reduce their spending on things like driving and grocery shopping. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.3% from March to April, the smallest increase in eight months. Price increases decelerated last August and September, suggesting at the time that higher inflation might be temporary, as many economists — and officials at the Federal Reserve — had suggested. Southwest Airlines said last month that it is expecting much higher revenue and profits this year as Americans flood the airports after postponing travel for two years. Used cars and other goods drove much of the initial inflation spike last year as Americans stepped up spending after vaccines became widespread. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices jumped twice as much from March to April as they did the previous month. For now, a fallback in gas prices in April helped slow overall inflation. The increases were fueled by spiking prices for airline tickets, hotel rooms and new cars.

BEIJING, May 11 (Reuters) - China's factory-gate inflation eased to a one-year low in April as state-driven production efforts supported supply and COVID-19 ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

President Joe Biden speaks about inflation in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex President Biden insists none of his social spending policies ...

Count reader Bob Heier among those who believe Biden is just a figurehead president, writing: “Who in the world can actually believe that this sorry old man can even conceive of such destructive policies, let alone order them to be activated? If the president were to flip-flop and make a serious push to increase production, he would face a revolt within his own party. He promised a 15-point plan that would give judges more discretion and vowed to remove DAs who won’t prosecute serious cases. He also called them “frustrated” and “not focused.” That’s not much of a reason, but the decision to go ahead shows how the administration has hit a wall of its own making. One theory is that the inflation data that comes out Wednesday will be more bad news and Biden’s team saw an advantage in getting ahead of it by having him tell voters he really, really feels their pain. To get any sense of what Biden really believes, it was necessary to watch him answer a handful of questions afterward. They’re playing with fire, and their willingness to risk violence shows how desperate party leaders are to motivate voters. Many Democrats actually wouldn’t mind if gas prices hit $10 a gallon because, they believe, that would hasten the move away from fossil fuels. An even bigger problem is that his argument is no match for the reality Americans see and feel. And all that was before the latest record hike in gasoline prices. Instead he fell back on tired tropes about how none of the historic increase in prices is his fault.