Wholesale prices fell 0.5% in October for biggest monthly drop since April 2020
Wholesale prices in October posted their biggest decline in 3½ years, providing another indication that the worst of the inflation surge may have passed. The producer price index, which measures final-demand costs for businesses, declined 0.5% for the month, against expectations for a 0.1% increase from the Dow Jones consensus, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. […]
Consumer prices rose 0.4%, more than expected
Prices that consumers pay for a wide variety of goods and services increased at a slightly faster-than-expected pace in September, keeping inflation in the spotlight for policymakers. The consumer price index, a closely followed inflation gauge, increased 0.4% on the month and 3.7% from a year ago, according to a Labor Department report Thursday. That […]
How carbon prices are taking over the world
IF GLOBAL WARMING is to be limited, the world must forget about fossil fuels as fast as possible—that much almost everyone agrees upon. How to do so is the complicated part. Economists have long favoured putting a price on carbon, a mechanism that Europe introduced in 2005. Doing so allows the market to identify the […]
Some soft commodity prices are surging, adding to consumer woes
A farmer cutting a cocoa pod to collect the beans inside on a farm in Azaguie, Ivory Coast, on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Surging prices for soft commodities, from orange juice to live cattle, are complicating the inflation picture. A host of agricultural commodities have climbed in recent months, […]
Why uranium prices are soaring
Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does not support the <audio> element. When russia invaded Ukraine, panic gripped Europe’s nuclear experts—the civilian variety, that is. Ukraine, where 15 reactors relied on Russia for their uranium, rushed to sign an unusually long 12-year deal with Canada. European utilities, […]
How can American house prices still be rising?
Homeownership regularly nears the top of surveys about what Americans most want in life. Alas, this part of the American dream has rarely been harder to attain. Those looking to enter the property market face a triple whammy of high prices, costly mortgages and limited choice. Together these factors have conspired to make housing deeply […]
Can the U.S. President Affect World Oil Prices?
Co-blogger Pierre Lemieux writes: It should be pretty obvious that the president’s power to set world prices is (fortunately) nil. It’s actually not obvious. In fact, it’s false. The reason has to do with 3 things: First, the U.S. president has a lot of power over oil exploration and drilling. Second, the U.S. produces a […]
Wholesale prices rose 0.3% in July, higher than expected
A measure of wholesale prices rose more than expected in July, countering recent trends showing that inflation pressures are easing. The producer price index, which gauges the costs that goods and services producers receive for their products as opposed to those that consumers pay, rose 0.3% for the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported […]
High prices are still a problem
Gas station signboards display prices in Bethesda, Maryland on August 6, 2023. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images Thursday’s consumer price index report likely will show that the pace of price increases is easing, but not enough to get the Federal Reserve to retreat on its inflation fight. If the Wall Street consensus as […]
Prices rise for backpacks, notepads, pens
Jamie Grill | Getty Images Back-to-school shopping hasn’t been easy this year for Lauren Cyr. The mother of three has searched for deals and spread out her shopping across multiple paychecks. Still, the 31-year-old sees higher price tags on everything from backpacks to paper — and the summer ritual is squeezing her family budget more […]
