Economy

The prices that goods and services producers receive rose in March at the fastest pace since records have been kept, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. The producer price index, which measures the prices paid by wholesalers, increased 11.2% from a year ago, the most in a data series going back to November 2010.

Getting inflation under control will require raising interest rates at a faster pace than normal even though the pace of price increases probably has peaked, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Wednesday. That means the central bank likely will hike short-term rates by half a percentage point, or 50 basis points, at its meeting in

Customers pushing shopping carts shop at a supermarket on April 12, 2022 in San Mateo County, California. Liu Guanguan | China News Service | Getty Images Consumers continued to spend in March even as inflation rose to its highest level since late 1981, according to government data released Thursday. Retail sales climbed 0.5% from the

A contractor uses a hammer while working on townhouse under construction at the PulteGroup Metro housing development in Milpitas, California. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sharply rising mortgage rates are taking their toll on the nation’s homebuilders, as already pricey new construction becomes even less affordable.  Builder confidence in the market for

Republican activists seek drivers’ attention as they work to register voters to their party at a gas station in Garden Grove, California, U.S., March 29, 2022.  Mike Blake | Reuters Matthew Rice doesn’t have to look hard for signs of inflation in Savannah, Ga. A gallon of gas cost $2.79 a few months ago, he

A motorist pumps gas at a Valero station along Encinitas Blvd in Encinitas, CA on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Sandy Huffaker | The Washington Post | Getty Images Worries are increasing over inflation, with new Federal Reserve data showing a record-high fear over surging prices. Consumers now see inflation hitting 6.6% over the next year,

Moyo Studio | E+ | Getty Images As the coronavirus pandemic wears on and government aid sent at the beginning of the crisis runs out, Americans are feeling the impact of tight budgets. One-quarter of Americans said that they felt financially stressed all the time last year, according to a CNBC + Acorns Invest in

A customer selects food from a freezer at a supermarket on January 12, 2022 in New York City. Liao Pan | China News Service | Getty Images Consumer price inflation in March is expected to have risen the most since December 1981, driven by higher food costs, rising rents and runaway energy prices. The consumer

Prices that consumers pay on everyday items surged in March to their highest levels since the early days of the Reagan administration, according to Labor Department data released Tuesday. The consumer price index, which measures a wide-ranging basket of goods and services, jumped 8.5% from a year ago on an unadjusted basis, above even the

White House press secretary Jen Psaki answers questions during the daily briefing on March 09, 2022 in Washington, DC. Psaki answered a range of questions related primarily to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Win Mcnamee | Getty Images WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is bracing for Tuesday’s key consumer inflation report to show that the prices

Federal Reserve officials discussed how they want to reduce their trillions in bond holdings at their March meeting, with a consensus amount around $95 billion, minutes released Wednesday showed. Officials “generally agreed” that a limit of $60 billion in Treasurys and $35 billion in mortgage-backed securities would be allowed to roll off, phased in over

The labor market tightened further last week, with initial jobless claims falling to their lowest level in more than 53 years, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Initial filings for unemployment dropped to 166,000, well below the Dow Jones estimate of 200,000 and 5,000 under the previous week’s total, which was revised sharply lower. The department

James Bullard Olivia Michael | CNBC The Federal Reserve needs to raise interest rates substantially to control inflation but may not be as “behind the curve” as it appears, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said Thursday. One of the Federal Open Market Committee’s most “hawkish” members in favor of tighter policy, Bullard said a

A customer shops at at a grocery store on February 10, 2022 in Miami, Florida. The Labor Department announced that consumer prices jumped 7.5% last month compared with 12 months earlier, the steepest year-over-year increase since February 1982. Joe Raedle | Getty Images The view that higher interest rates help stamp out inflation is essentially

Miami, Florida, Brickell City Centre shopping mall with Apple Store, Chanel and escalators. Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images With as much as 60% of U.S. consumers living paycheck to paycheck, it’s not a surprise to see that the spending cutbacks have started. Even with a strong job market and wage gains,

Edwin Lopez sorts the money in the cash register at Frankie’s Pizza on January 12, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images As inflation continues to weigh on American households, people are plotting what they’ll cut from their budgets in the coming months to keep spending in check. More than 50% of adults

Robyn Beck | Afp | Getty Images Surging inflation has Americans reconsidering how they spend their money. The Consumer Price Index, which measures a wide-ranging basket of goods and services, jumped 7.9% in February from 12 months prior. Prices are going up on everything from the food you put on the table to the gas

Rate hikes, soaring energy prices and geopolitical risks have combined to stoke fears of a possible recession. Credit Suisse however, thinks that is an unlikely scenario. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images After two years of the coronavirus pandemic, a recession and a rapid recovery, Americans are worried that the economy may swiftly decline