Economy

Consumers saw price relief at the gas pump and grocery store. But housing inflation and other categories, such as car insurance, are trouble spots.

With the unemployment rate low and inflation easing, Trump will inherit an economy primed for growth.

There’s been a significant increase in the share of retirees with credit card debt since 2022, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

The average 30-year mortgage rate has been above 6% for two years — and is likely to stay above that level for the foreseeable future, experts say.

The rate cut follows a larger half-point reduction in September, and it reflects the Fed’s renewed focus on supporting the job market as well as fighting inflation.

Inventory was 23% higher from September 2023 last month, good news for home buyers as it gives consumers more properties to view before making a decision.

The shortfall was more than 8% from the previous year and the third highest on record, the Treasury Department said Friday.

The consumer price index was expected to show a 0.1% increase in September and a 2.3% gain from a year ago, according to Dow Jones consensus estimates.

Two Democratic lawmakers are demanding that some of the biggest food and beverage companies stop engaging in “shrinkflation” — the practice of reducing product sizes while charging prices that are the same or higher.

U.S. ports from Maine to Texas shut down this week when the union representing about 45,000 dockworkers went on strike for the first time since 1977.

The first thing that’s going to be impacted by the dockworkers strike, experts said, is fresh produce, like bananas, and fresh seafood.

Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks.

The Federal Reserve is cutting its interest rate by a half a point, the Committee said Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates helped tame inflation but that also made borrowing painfully expensive for consumers.

The post-pandemic spike in U.S. inflation eased further last month as year-over-year price increases reached a three-year low, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates next week.

Retirees and near-retirees perhaps face the biggest risks if an economic downturn upends their financial plans. Experts say these are the questions to ask now.

One manufacturer included in the Dallas Fed’s latest survey said growth in the category typically aligns with a slowing economy.

Speaking at the Federal Reserve’s annual retreat Friday, Chair Jereme Powell said “the time has come for policy to adjust.”

Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union — which represents more than 10,000 workers — failed to come to an agreement after months of labor talks.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released minutes from its July 30-31 policy meeting.