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President Biden addresses inflation concerns as data shows acceleration

Published: 11 April 2024 at 09:18

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President Biden asserted that inflation was surging when he took office in January 2021, despite federal data indicating otherwise. The latest Consumer Price Index reading revealed that annual inflation accelerated faster than expected for a third consecutive month in March. Inflation remained below 3% until April 2021 when it surged to 4.2% and peaked at a 40-year high of 9.1%. Housing and gasoline costs were significant drivers of inflation, affecting everyday necessities like food and rent. High inflation levels may hinder the Federal Reserve from reducing interest rates as they aim to maintain around a 2% inflation rate.

DEEP DIVE


US Consumer Prices Rise More Than Expected, Diminishing Rate-Cut Prospects


The US consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.5 percent in March from a year earlier, higher than predicted, leading economists to doubt the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year. Stock prices fell and bond yields rose after the CPI report, impacting President Biden's approval ratings. Core prices also increased more than expected. Despite the inflation surge, the US economy appears solid with low unemployment rates. Analysts, like those at Goldman Sachs, have revised rate-cut predictions multiple times due to unpredictable inflation patterns and market reactions.

Federal Reserve Watches Inflation Trends Closely for Rate Cut Decisions


The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring inflation trends to determine the timing and extent of potential interest rate cuts this year, with a report on consumer prices in March expected to show a slight cooling of inflation. While earlier data indicated a need for multiple rate cuts, recent high inflation readings and strong economic growth have led to suggestions of fewer cuts by Fed officials. Despite criticism from Republican critics attributing high prices to President Joe Biden, the focus remains on inflation returning to the central bank's 2% target.

March CPI Report Shows Rising Inflation in the U.S. and Areas Most Affected


The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the U.S. climbed 3.5% in March from a year ago, exceeding the Federal Reserve's 2% target for the third consecutive month. WalletHub compared 23 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) to assess the impact of inflation, highlighting Honolulu with a 4.8% increase, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach region with a 4.9% rise, and San Bernardino-Riverside-Ontario area with a 4.7% hike.

Americans Brace for High Inflation as Federal Reserve Survey Reveals Median Expectation


The Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey shows Americans expect 3% inflation in one year, 2.9% in three years, and 2.6% in five years, remaining above the Fed's 2% target. Fed Chair Powell emphasizes the need to conquer inflation before considering interest rate reductions. The survey also indicates concerns about job security and finding new employment. Market uncertainty persists with speculation on potential rate cuts this year.

Inflation Surges Grocery Prices by 21% in Three Years


Grocery prices have surged by 21% in the last three years, exceeding the overall pace of inflation, with staples like eggs, detergent, milk, butter, cereal, and toilet paper experiencing significant price increases. In February 2023, grocery prices shot up by 10.2% compared to the previous year. Inflation remains a concern, with February's Consumer Price Index at 3.2%, slightly higher than expected. Fed Chair Jerome Powell aims to address inflation by cutting interest rates. Local grocery stores are working to mitigate the impact, with some offering sales and donations to help families in need.

Why home equity may be the best borrowing option right now


We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. By Angelica Leicht Edited By Matt Richardson April 10, 2024 / 3:31 PM EDT / CBS News While the Federal Reserve has made numerous moves over the last few years to try and temper inflation, things aren't fully back on track just yet. The latest inflation report, released today, shows that the March inflation rate ticked back up for the second month in a row, hitting 3.5% up slightly compared to the rate of 3.

US Inflation Rises in February Due to Gasoline and Housing Costs


The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all items increased by 3.2% in the last 12 months, with a 0.4% increase in February primarily driven by a 0.4% rise in the shelter index and a significant 3.8% rise in the gasoline index. The energy index as a whole also rose by 2.3% in February, attributed to higher gas prices. The Federal Reserve is uncertain about rate cuts due to the inflation trends. Some indexes, like food, remained unchanged, while new vehicle and medical care services indexes declined slightly. High inflation impacts debts, but low-interest personal loans can help manage debt effectively.

March CPI Report Expected to Impact Interest Rate Cuts


The March consumer price index (CPI) report, set to be released, is anticipated to show a year-over-year jump of 3.7% in core CPI, slightly lower than the prior month. Analysts suggest that a cooling of inflation in March could lead to potential interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in June. The report's outcome will heavily influence stock and bond markets. This follows Fed Chair Jerome Powell's indication that interest rates could be cut in 2024 once inflation is under control. Inflation pressures persist with core prices expected to rise 3.7% annually.

Larry Kudlow discusses the March jobs report and President Biden's economic policies


Larry Kudlow comments on the Federal Reserve's decision not to cut interest rates despite inflation inching up, with commodity prices and grocery prices on the rise. The March jobs report highlighted growth in the healthcare and government sectors, while the economy has not entered a recession despite debates on its strength. President Biden's call to cut rates has sparked political tension, with opposition from Republican officials like Donald Trump and concerns about inflation and economic resilience.

UK inflation unexpectedly rises to 4% in December


The consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation in the UK rose to 4% in December, surprising economists who had expected a fall to 3.8%. The increase in inflation was primarily driven by the higher cost of tobacco and alcohol, as the government increased smoking duties. Food inflation also decreased to 8% from 9.2% in November. The Bank of England, which had previously raised interest rates to combat inflation, will likely be concerned by these increases. However, core inflation, which excludes volatile categories, remained unchanged at 5.1%. Market expectations suggest a decrease to 5% in June.

Federal Reserve's Actions and Big Banks' Financial Results This Week


The Labor Department is set to release its March report on consumer prices with analysts expecting a 3.4% rise in inflation. The Federal Reserve will present the minutes from its recent interest rate policy meeting, maintaining the benchmark rate unchanged and planning potential rate cuts in 2024. Big banking institutions such as JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo will disclose their quarterly financial results giving insight into consumer health and credit activities.

Why the Fed needs to cut interest rates to lower inflation, according to a JPMorgan strategist


If the Federal Reserve wants to lower inflation back to its long-term target of 2%, it needs to start cutting interest rates, according to JPMorgan strategist Jack Manley. That thinking flies in the face of conventional economic wisdom, which says higher interest rates help combat inflation by lowering aggregate demand, and vice versa. However, according to Manley, rising shelter costs, which have been a key driver of inflation in this current economic cycle, would actually reverse lower if the Fed started to cut interest rates. Related stories "You're not going to see meaningful downward pressure on shelter costs until the Fed lowers interest rates, mortgages come down to a more reasonable level, and supply comes back on line," Manley told Bloomberg in an interview on Monday. The housing market has been incredibly tight, with prices staying elevated due to very tight supply and steady demand.

Presidency of Joe Biden (Wikipedia)


Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president for two terms under President Barack Obama, took office following his victory in the 2020 presidential election over Republican incumbent president Donald Trump. Upon his inauguration, he became the oldest president in American history, breaking the record set by his predecessor Trump. Biden entered office amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic crisis, and increased political polarization.On the first day of his presidency, Biden made an effort to revert President Trump's energy policy by restoring U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement and revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. He also halted funding for Trump's border wall, an expansion of the Mexican border wall. On his second day, he issued a series of executive orders to reduce the impact of COVID-19, including invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950, and set an early goal of achieving one hundred million COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States in his first 100 days.Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill that temporarily established expanded unemployment insurance and sent $1,400 stimulus checks to most Americans in response to continued economic pressure from COVID-19. He signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; a ten-year plan brokered by Biden alongside Democrats and Republicans in Congress, to invest in American roads, bridges, public transit, ports and broadband access. Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making Juneteenth a federal holiday in the United States. He appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court—the first Black woman to serve on the court. After The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Biden took executive actions, such as the signing of Executive Order 14076, to preserve and protect women's health rights nationwide, against abortion bans in Republican led states. Biden proposed a significant expansion of the U.S. social safety net through the Build Back Better Act, but those efforts, along with voting rights legislation, failed in Congress. However, in August 2022, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a domestic appropriations bill that included some of the provisions of the Build Back Better Act after the entire bill failed to pass. It included significant federal investment in climate and domestic clean energy production, tax credits for solar panels, electric cars and other home energy programs as well as a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act, bolstering the semiconductor and manufacturing industry, the Honoring our PACT Act, expanding health care for US veterans, and the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act. In late 2022, Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and codified same-sex and interracial marriage in the United States. In response to the debt-ceiling crisis of 2023, Biden negotiated and signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which restrains federal spending for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, implements minor changes to SNAP and TANF, includes energy permitting reform, claws back some IRS funding and unspent money for COVID-19, and suspends the debt ceiling to January 1, 2025. Biden established the American Climate Corps and created the first ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. On September 26, 2023, Joe Biden visited a United Auto Workers picket line during the 2023 United Auto Workers strike, making him the first US president to visit one.The foreign policy goal of the Biden administration is to restore the US to a "position of trusted leadership" among global democracies in order to address the challenges posed by Russia and China. In foreign policy, Biden completed the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan, declaring an end to nation-building efforts and shifting U.S. foreign policy toward strategic competition with China and, to a lesser extent, Russia. However, during the withdrawal, the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban seized control, leading to Biden receiving bipartisan criticism. He responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by imposing sanctions on Russia as well as providing Ukraine with over $100 billion in combined military, economic, and humanitarian aid. Biden also approved a raid which led to the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the leader of the Islamic State, and approved a drone strike which killed Ayman Al Zawahiri, leader of Al-Qaeda. Biden signed AUKUS, an international security alliance, together with Australia and the United Kingdom. Biden called for the expansion of NATO with the addition of Finland and Sweden, and rallied NATO allies in support of Ukraine. During the Israel–Hamas war, Biden condemned Hamas and other Palestinian militants as terrorism and announced American military support for Israel; Biden also showed his support and sympathy towards Palestinians affected by the war, sent humanitarian aid, and brokered a four-day temporary pause and hostage exchange.Biden began his term with over 50% approval ratings; however, these fell significantly after the withdrawal from Afghanistan and remained low as the country experienced high inflation and rising gas prices. His age and mental fitness have also been a subject of discussion.

Consumer Price Index (United Kingdom) (Wikipedia)


The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the official measure of inflation in consumer prices in the United Kingdom. It is also called the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP).

Consumer price index (Wikipedia)


A consumer price index (CPI) is a price index, the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. Changes in measured CPI track changes in prices over time. The CPI is calculated by using a representative basket of goods and services. The basket is updated periodically to reflect changes in consumer spending habits. The prices of the goods and services in the basket are collected monthly from a sample of retail and service establishments. The prices are then adjusted for changes in quality or features. Changes in the CPI can be used to track inflation over time and to compare inflation rates between different countries. The CPI is not a perfect measure of inflation or the cost of living, but it is a useful tool for tracking these economic indicators.

Mortgage Rates Expected to Decrease Following Federal Reserve Meeting


After the latest Federal Reserve meeting, officials hinted at potential rate cuts three times this year, leading to a slight easing of 30-year mortgage rates to the mid-6% range. As inflation slows and the Fed lowers rates, mortgage rates are anticipated to decrease, possibly ahead of the Fed's June meeting. Despite a recent rise in rates throughout most of 2023, they are expected to trend downwards as the economy normalizes. The Consumer Price Index's 3.2% increase in the last year signals a positive trend for mortgage rates.

Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (Wikipedia)


The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) is an indicator of inflation and price stability for the European Central Bank (ECB). It is a consumer price index which is compiled according to a methodology that has been harmonised across EU countries. The euro area HICP is a weighted average of price indices of member states who have adopted the euro. The primary goal of the ECB is to maintain price stability, defined as keeping the year on year increase HICP target on 2% over the medium term. In order to do that, the ECB can control the short-term interest rate through Eonia, the European overnight index average, which affects market expectations. The HICP is also used to assess the convergence criteria on inflation which countries must fulfill in order to adopt the euro. In the United Kingdom, the HICP is called the CPI and is used to set the inflation target of the Bank of England.

United States Consumer Price Index (Wikipedia)


The United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a family of various consumer price indices published monthly by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The most commonly used indices are the CPI-U and the CPI-W, though many alternative versions exist for different uses. For example, the CPI-U is the most popularly cited measure of consumer inflation in the United States, while the CPI-W is used to index Social Security benefit payments.

Stocks plunge after inflation report raises concerns about Fed rates


Stocks took a dive after a key inflation report revealed higher-than-expected price increases, raising concerns that the Federal Reserve will keep rates higher for longer than anticipated. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 525 points, or 1.4%, while the S&P 500 declined 1.4% and the Nasdaq Composite lost roughly 1.8%. The latest Consumer Price Index showed that prices rose by 3.1% for the 12 months ended in January, with economists expecting inflation to ease to 0.2% on a monthly basis. Traders now expect the Federal Reserve to cut its benchmark lending rate in June or July.

Joe Biden (Wikipedia)


Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. ( , BY-dən; born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 under President Barack Obama and represented Delaware in the United States Senate from 1973 to 2009.Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden moved with his family to Delaware in 1953. He graduated from the University of Delaware before earning his law degree from Syracuse University. He was elected to the New Castle County Council in 1970 and to the U.S. Senate in 1972. As a senator, Biden drafted and led the effort to pass the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and the Violence Against Women Act. He also oversaw six U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings, including the contentious hearings for Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. Biden ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008. In 2008, Obama chose Biden as his running mate, and he was a close counselor to Obama during his two terms as vice president. In the 2020 presidential election, Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, defeated incumbents Donald Trump and Mike Pence. He is the oldest president in U.S. history, and the first to have a female vice president.As president, Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recession. He signed bipartisan bills on infrastructure and manufacturing. He proposed the Build Back Better Act, which failed in Congress, but aspects of which were incorporated into the Inflation Reduction Act that he signed into law in 2022. Biden appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. He worked with congressional Republicans to resolve the 2023 United States debt-ceiling crisis by negotiating a deal to raise the debt ceiling. In foreign policy, Biden restored America's membership in the Paris Agreement. He oversaw the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan that ended the war in Afghanistan, during which the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban seized control. He responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by imposing sanctions on Russia and authorizing civilian and military aid to Ukraine. During the Israel–Hamas war, Biden announced military support for Israel, and condemned the actions of Hamas and other Palestinian militants as terrorism. In April 2023, Biden announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 2024 presidential election.

U.S. Stocks Slightly Higher Amid Uncertainty Over Interest Rate Cuts and Inflation Report


U.S. stock indexes, including the S&P 500 and Dow Jones, are slightly up as investors await key market reports on inflation and corporate profits. Traders are uncertain about the Federal Reserve's potential interest rate cuts due to recent mixed economic data, with expectations ranging from two to zero cuts this year. Companies may need to show strong profit growth to support current stock price levels.

Consumer price index by country (Wikipedia)


This page lists details of the consumer price index by country.

President Biden addresses inflation concerns as data shows acceleration President Biden addresses inflation concerns as data shows acceleration

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