Inflation

In this issue of Money Scoop - June 14

Some progressive groups are urging Biden and Democrats to more aggressively cast corporations and billionaires as enemies in the fight against inflation.

It’s the inflation you’re not supposed to see. From toilet paper to yogurt and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking package sizes without lowering prices. It’s dubbed “shrinkflation,” and it’s accelerating worldwide.

Welcome to the macroeconomic bar fight. Today, fists are being thrown over the causes of high inflation. But off to the corner stands John Cochrane, an economist with a core explanation for rising prices: government borrowing and spending. Check out some of our earlier episodes on inflation: - Why some economists last year were concerned about low interest rates and high government borrowing and spending - Why the term 'transitory' inflation was banned by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as consumers spent and spent in 2021 - How the war in Ukraine raises prices around the world, including food prices, and a look at grain exports stuck in the country - Whether corporate greed is to blame for inflation

The packages keep getting smaller, but we pay the same price.

The most magical place on earth has seen some hefty price hikes. What gives?   From professional sports champions to families everywhere--Disney World has been a destination for the young and young at heart. But as many of those kids have grown older, they've noticed things aren't quite what they used to be when it comes to costs.

A cohort of Democrats say corporate greed has contributed to inflation, but many, including Jeff Bezos, are pushing back.

“A Phillips curve for Google searches on "inflation" and "unemployment" over the past two years looks about how you'd expect. We've been on vertical part since October 2021.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation soared over the past year at its fastest pace in more than 40 years, with costs for food, gasoline, housing and other necessities squeezing American consumers and wiping out the pay raises that many people have received.

You're not going crazy: That bag of Doritos did have more chips in it, and those paper towels did last longer. They've both been shrunken.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.1% in January compared with a year ago, the latest evidence that Americans are enduring sharp price increases that will likely worsen after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Workers have seen their hourly pay jump at about the fastest clip in 15 years. But high annual inflation has eaten into those raises.

Researchers are expanding our understanding of the “huge variation” with which inflation strikes households and groups

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation jumped at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years last month, a 7% spike from a year earlier that is increasing household expenses, eating into wage gains and heaping pressure on President Joe Biden and the Federal Reserve to address what has become the biggest threat to the U.S.

The inflation rate in the U.S. hit a 40-year high. We look back at historical inflation, and where experts think it may be headed next.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation soared over the past year at its highest rate in four decades, hammering American consumers, wiping out pay raises and reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s decision to begin raising borrowing rates across the economy.

Seventy-nine percent of U.S. adults expect inflation to go up over the next six months, including 50% who say it will go up a lot.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of prices that is closely tracked by the Federal Reserve rose 5.8% last year, the sharpest increase since 1982, as brisk consumer spending collided with snarled supply chains to raise the costs of food, furniture, appliances and other goods.

It's going to cost you more to wash your clothes.

There's no denying it: Inflation is here. Consumer prices surged 7% over the past year. Housing prices have continued to soar, too. But the question on the minds of many economists and Wall Street strategists is whether something even worse could be in the cards: prices rising as the economy slows.

Higher inflation is on people’s minds, so we tackle a handful of questions posed online and during a recent inflation event.

Inflation Charting: Center for Inflation Research

Consumer prices jumped 7% in December compared with 12 months earlier — the hottest year-over-year inflation since June 1982. What is causing prices to increase and when can Americans expect a reprieve?

The U.S. inflation rate has seen its fastest annual increase in over 30 years. Which consumer spending categories have been hit the hardest?

Although workers across the country have seen an increase in wages, the prices of things like gas and food have also risen, leaving workers wondering if their raises are real.

The holidays feel more expensive this year because they are.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer prices rose 5.7% over the past year, the fastest pace in 39 years, as a surge in inflation confronts Americans with the holiday shopping season under way. The November increase, reported Thursday by the Commerce Department, followed a 5.1% rise for the 12 months ending in October, continuing a string of annual price gains that have run well above the 2% inflation target set by the Federal Reserve.