American consumers got the same bang for their buck in April as they did a month earlier, as falling gas prices gave them some relief.
Inflation picked up slightly last month, as rising gas prices took a bigger bite out of consumers' wallets.
China's inflation rate rose in January, which may dash hopes that the country's central bank will soon take more action to support economic growth there.
Chinese inflation edged down in December, setting the stage for a continuation of cautious policy loosening to support the slowing economy.
Good news for American wallets: Inflation doesn't appear to be a problem.
U.S. stocks geared up for a mixed open Tuesday, as investors mull over more company earnings, a faster-than-expected rise in producer prices and slower Chinese economic growth.
Suddenly, investors and some economists are worried about deflation once again.
The pace of inflation continued to climb in May, as the recent pullback in gas prices was not enough to ease the strain on consumers' wallets.
Inflation accelerated to its fastest annual pace in two and a half years in April, as surging gas prices continued to hit American consumers.
Food and energy prices are surging. Still, underlying inflation remains low, the government said Thursday.
The cost of producing goods is rising, and consumers could soon pay the price.
Celebrating the traditional Lantern Festival this week, many Beijing residents spent a lot of money dining out and setting off fireworks to mark the end of the Chinese Lunar New Year. "For the rich the money they spend is mere peanuts," says Mei Yana, a migrant from rural Henan province working as a restaurant waitress.
updated: Fri Feb 18 2011 00:01:00
New economic figures from China could mean more interest rate increases are on the way.
As inflation spreads across the developing world, household needs could soon be more expensive for American consumers too. Commodity prices -- from oil to steel to cotton -- are rising across the globe. While that's already being felt at U.S. gas stations, it'll soon be putting pressure on the prices Americans pay for food, appliances and clothing. Prices are rising far more rapidly in developing economies than in the United States. Retail prices in China rose nearly 5% over the past 12 months, much faster than in the United States, where consumer prices were up 1.6%.
American consumers saw prices rise on everything from rent to food to gas last month, as inflation pressures around the world creep higher. The U.S. Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation, increased 1.5% over the past 12 months ending in December, up from 1.1% in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
Can you tell when a boom has turned into a bubble? One clue: When pop culture starts paying attention. The housing bubble, for example, brought both the TV show Flip This House and a rival on another network, Flip That House.
December has been a good month for U.S. stocks, so this week's lackluster action isn't upsetting investors much. Stocks have managed to eke out gains over the past few sessions and are up 5% for the month.
updated: Mon Dec 13 2010 20:23:00
CNN's Eunice Yoon explains China's efforts to fight inflation and expectations of an interest rate hike.
Higher food prices continue to be the main driver of inflation in China, raising the likelihood of an imminent interest rate hike as the country tries to reel in its red-hot economy.
Consumer prices for everything other than food and energy are rising, but at a rate so sluggish, it's the smallest price increase on record, the government said Wednesday.
Consumer prices are up slightly over last year driven by climbing food and energy costs, but still lower than policymakers would like.
Deflation? Inflation? Which is it?
A key index of consumer prices rose in July from a year earlier amid higher energy costs, the government said Friday. Prices also increased on a monthly basis for the first time in four months.
With the economic recovery starting to lose steam, the Federal Reserve has the unenviable task of trying to figure out which "flation" battle to fight. Inflation or deflation?
Battling inflation has historically been a major aim of the Federal Reserve. But central bank policymakers now have an even bigger worry: deflation.
Stocks slumped Friday after financial firms Bank of America and Citigroup reported weaker quarterly revenue and a plunge in consumer sentiment revived concerns about the economic outlook.
Prices for U.S. Treasurys rose Thursday as investors flocked to the safety of government debt amid renewed concerns about the economy.
A key index of consumer prices fell in May, but it was up 2% over the past 12 months, the government said Thursday.
Inflation is picking up in China, sparking U.S. concerns that reining in growth there could have negative consequences here.
updated: Thu Apr 29 2010 23:16:00
A social networking site run by mothers is leading a grassroots effort pushing deflation in Japan. CNN's Kyung Lah reports.
You know that stocks have a knack for climbing a wall of worry. You saw that firsthand last year, when in the midst of the global financial crisis, the Standard & Poor's 500 index skyrocketed more than 70% from its March 2009 lows.
Ben Bernanke and the rest of the Federal Reserve may think that low interest rates can continue to be just what the economy needs to get back on track.
A key index of consumer prices rose in August, but sank significantly over the past 12 months, the government said Wednesday.
A key index of consumer prices rose more than expected in June but showed the largest year-over-year decline since January 1950, the government said Wednesday.
Technology stocks were expected to lift the overall market at Wednesday's open after Intel topped analysts' expectations for the prior quarter and gave a positive second-half outlook.
Should the Federal Reserve be more worried about the threat of inflation on the long-term horizon, or deflation in the short-term?
A key index of prices paid by consumers showed the largest year-over-year decline since April 1950, primarily due to sinking energy prices, the government said Wednesday.
U.S. stocks were set to open mixed Wednesday, showing little reaction to the latest figures on inflation, as investors awaited more details about President Obama's plan to overhaul financial regulation.
Wholesale prices jumped slightly in May, the government said Tuesday, but the increase was less than expected and the 5% annual rate of decline was the sharpest since 1949.
The nation has a 'flation problem. But it is deflation or inflation? Or maybe it's disinflation, stagflation or hyperinflation?
A key index of prices paid by consumers fell at the sharpest rate since August 1955 due to historically low energy prices, the government said Friday.
A key index of prices paid by consumers fell in March and registered its first annual decline in more than 50 years, the government said Wednesday, as prices for energy and food slumped in the weak economy.
Tech shares tumbled Wednesday morning, dragging down the Nasdaq composite, as investors mulled Intel's quarterly report, while blue-chip stocks were little changed.
Wholesale prices fell more than expected in March, primarily due to a large drop off in energy prices, the government said Tuesday.
Stocks rallied Wednesday, posting gains for their sixth of seven sessions, after the Federal Reserve said it would buy up to $300 billion in long-term government bonds.
Stocks opened lower Wednesday morning as the Federal Reserve resumed its policy meeting and IBM is reportedly in talks to buy Sun Microsystems for at least $6.5 billion.
Investors return to work on the back of Wall Street's best week in months - and that's both a good and bad thing.
Consumer prices rose last month for the first time since July, the government said Friday, but the year-over-year inflation rate was at the lowest level in more than a half-century.
Prices are falling for just about everything these days.
The government's measurement of wholesale inflation rose more than expected in January, due largely to rising energy prices.
Consumer prices fell in December for the third straight month, with plunging energy costs contributing to the drop, the government said Friday.
Wholesale prices fell in December for the fifth month in a row, according to a key government inflation report released Thursday.
Rarely has the potential for lower prices been so scary.
Lower prices are probably at the bottom of the list of most Americans' current economic worries. But for a growing number of economists, it's their biggest fear.
This recession has been so unusual that it has brought back economic phenomena that haven't been seen in generations, at least not in the U.S. Chief among them is deflation. It's a scary prospect that has been on people's minds since evidence of a deepening recession started proliferating quickly earlier in the fall.
Consumer prices - dragged down by plunging energy costs - fell by a staggering amount in November, the government reported Tuesday.
Wholesale prices fell considerably in November, as energy prices continued to plummet, according to a key government inflation reading released Friday.
Forget about inflation. The opposite threat - deflation - is what has policymakers sweating now.
Stock prices have plunged in recent weeks. So have oil prices.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that the problems in the nation's financial markets persist and still threaten the economy.
In another indication of growing inflation, wholesale prices increased in July to the highest annual rate in 27 years, according to a government report released Tuesday.
Lower oil prices helped fire up a stock market advance Thursday, as investors looked beyond the morning's big spike in consumer inflation and opted to scoop up shares hit in the recent retreat.
Consumer prices shot up in July at twice the expected rate, pushed higher by surging energy and food costs
China's wholesale inflation in July accelerated to its highest rate in 12 years, adding to the government's headaches as it tries to rein in surging consumer prices, according to data reported Monday
The Federal Reserve left its key short-term interest rate unchanged Wednesday at 2%, marking the first time in the nine months that it did not cut rates.
Wholesale prices bolted ahead in May at the fastest pace in six months as energy and food costs marched higher
The inflation rate shot up in May at the fastest pace in six months, pushed higher by soaring costs for gasoline and other types of energy
The cost of living rose in May as consumers were belted by energy costs, the government said Friday.
Inflation shot up in May at the fastest pace in six months, pushed higher by soaring costs for gasoline and other types of energy
China's inflation rate dipped to a still high 7.7% in May, thanks to easing food prices, though pressures for further price increases remain a threat and few saw reason to celebrate
The following minutes from the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee on April 29-30, 2008 were published on the Federal Reserve web site on May 21, 2008.
Americans are feeling a lot more economic pain than the government's official statistics would lead you to believe, according to a growing number of experts.
China's producer price index, a key indicator of inflation, rose 8.1 per cent in April over the same month a year earlier, the government reported Friday, as a top economic official sought new controls to cool rising prices
Consumers, hit by rising energy prices, paid slightly more for goods and services in March. But the overall inflation gain was in line with Wall Street expectations.
Inflation at the wholesale level soared in March at nearly triple the rate that had been expected as the costs of energy and food both climbed rapidly
Inflation is the itch that the Federal Reserve just can't seem to scratch.
Here are the minutes from the March 18, 2008 meeting of the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee:
My friend Dana, a former real estate investment banker who got out of investment banking comfortably before subprime mortgages hit the fan, has a personal inflation index. It's pegged entirely to the price of filet mignon at the Palm Too, his favorite steak house on the East Side of Manhattan. If the filet mignon is reasonable, all is right with the world. If it seems unduly expensive, Dana gets worried that inflation is spinning out of control. So a couple of months ago he returned from a month in Paris to find that the price of pricey steak had jumped to $38, up from $36. To hear him tell it, not since the Last Supper has an evening meal emanated so pervasive a sense of impending doom.
Inflation at the wholesale level met most estimates in February, the Labor Department said Tuesday, but core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose more than expected.
Consumer prices held steady in February, with milder-than-expected inflation giving the Federal Reserve some leeway in its interest rate-cutting campaign.
Two members of the Federal Reserve's rate-setting body gave conflicting speeches Tuesday as to whether rising inflation or a recession is the greater risk for the economy.
Inflation at the wholesale level soared in January, pushed higher by rising costs for food, energy and medicine
Inflation pressures stayed steady in October, according to the government's key inflation measure released Thursday that matched economists' forecasts.
U.S. stocks appeared poised for a higher opening Wednesday, with technology stocks looking to lead the way on Wall Street after a batch of upbeat earnings in the sector.
U.S. stock futures were stronger Wednesday as investors continued to cheer a Federal Reserve cut aimed at restoring confidence in the financial markets.
Consumer prices in August fell for the first time in 10 months, as another big drop in energy costs offset higher food prices.
China is likely to keep tightening monetary policy over the rest of 2007, but some economists believe the central bank will slow the tempo of interest rate increases as the outlook for exports darkens and inflation prospects improve.
Consumer prices rose more slowly in July due to lower gasoline prices, according to the government's key inflation reading released Wednesday that was exactly what Wall Street was expecting..
Prices paid by consumers rose in June, but when food and energy prices were stripped out the government's key inflation measure was in line with Wall Street expectations.
The following is the text of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives.
Cheaper energy helped reduce overall U.S. producer prices in June, according to a Labor Department report Tuesday, but a closely watched measure of core inflation kept rising at a pace likely to keep concerns about inflation on policy-makers' minds.
Major gauges struggled in the first moments of trade Tuesday after reassuring news on consumer prices battled weak earnings reports from two Dow components.
Prices rose a bit less than forecast in April, according to the government's key inflation report Tuesday, but a closely watched reading showed a pick-up in prices outside of food and energy.
Tech and financial stocks slumped Monday, dragging down the Nasdaq composite and limiting gains for the Dow industrials as investors backed off after the recent rally.
Wholesale prices rose in April but excluding food and energy they stayed in check for the second straight month, the government said Friday in a report showing a key inflation reading below Wall Street forecasts.
Bonds rallied Wednesday as the latest signs of tame inflation and housing market weakness led traders to wonder about an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve.
Following are Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's prepared remarks to the Joint Economic Committee of Congress Wednesday.
Core U.S. inflation is likely to drop to 2 percent from about 2 1/4 percent, but pushing it below that may require higher interest rates, Federal Reserve Governor Frederic Mishkin said on Friday.
Bond prices were little changed - despite an economic report released Friday that showed higher inflation numbers (in line with economists' estimates) - while investors sensed equities remained a safe bet.
Higher gasoline and food prices pushed the cost of consumer goods up in February, according to a government report that showed inflation pressures roughly in line with Wall Street forecasts.
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