With inflation at a four-decade high, a growing number of forecasters worry the U.S. economy may be headed to a recession as the Fed gears up to raise interest rates aggressively.
Inflation in March was the highest since December of 1981, with prices up 8.5% from a year ago. Rising prices are especially hard on low-income people, who spend more of their money on necessities.
U.S. employers added 431,000 jobs in March, as the unemployment rate fell to 3.6% from 3.8% in February. The tight job market is putting upward pressure on both wages and prices.
The central bank raises its benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point in an effort to tamp down inflation. Additional rate hikes are likely in the months to come.
Annual inflation climbed to a new four-decade high in February, with consumer prices up 7.9% from a year ago. The increase does not reflect most of the recent jump in gasoline prices.
The annual survey finds Americans more on edge than ever, triggered by financial issues, the war overseas and the cumulative pressure of living through the pandemic.
U.S. employers added 678,000 jobs in February as the unemployment rate fell to 3.8%, from 4% in January. The Federal Reserve hopes to curb inflation without stalling job growth.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell says the central bank is prepared to begin raising interest rates this month to fight inflation despite economic uncertainty after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Republicans boycotted a meeting of the Senate Banking Committee Tuesday, delaying a vote on five nominees to the Fed's board. The move was aimed at one nominee: Sarah Bloom Raskin.
President Biden's first year in the White House has been marked by record GDP growth and job gains, so why do voters keep giving him poor marks on the economy?
Consumer prices in January were up 7.5% from a year ago, the biggest annual gain since 1982. That may seem like a lot for those under 40, but older folks have lived through even sharper price hikes.
To control inflation during WWII, the U.S. government resorted to wide-ranging price controls. Their unintended consequences might explain why today's policymakers are reluctant to try it again.