Inflation is up 4%, highest since 2008
The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation climbed by 4% in June compared with a year earlier, as a rebounding economy and strong demand for goods and services helped to push prices higher.
The gains in the Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation index were the fastest since 2008, but in line with economists’ expectations. That rapid pace is not expected to last — and how much and how quickly it will fade is the economic question of the moment.
Inflation has been surprisingly quick this year. Economists knew prices would post strong increases as they were measured against weak figures from 2020, when costs for many common purchases slumped. But the jump in recent months has been more intense than most were expecting.
That is partly because supply bottlenecks have emerged across America’s reopening economy. Computer ship shortages pushed up the prices of electronics and delayed automobile production, causing used car prices to surge as people scrambled to find vehicles. Employers are struggling to hire back workers fast enough to meet returning demand, and wages and prices at restaurants and some other service providers have begun to move higher.
BUSINESS
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2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z
2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z
https://edition.timesfreepress.com/article/282368337685871
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