Posts Tagged ‘consumers’
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The 5 Reasons Inflation Is Falling
The past year has been a rough time for the American consumer. The specter of inflation, which had not reared its ugly head in the official numbers since the early 80s, returned with a vengeance. July 2022 inflation marked an 8.5% increase over the prior year as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This…
Read MoreConsumers Not Ready For Another Credit Binge
Last week, two key reports on the state of the financial and consumer sectors were released. By all accounts, the consumer deleveraging cycle remains intact, despite an apparent willingness on the part of banks to reengage the lending machine. That will continue to pressure economic growth in the coming quarters, similar to prior debt deleveraging…
Read MoreWill Consumers Power our Economic Engine in 2012?
Consumers are an integral cog in the American economic engine, but since the financial crisis hit its crescendo, consumers have been under high attack. By most traditional measures, the economy is larger today than any time in our history, but it is hard to argue that consumers are feeling the benefits of that expansion. That…
Read MoreGrumbling Over Higher Gas Prices
Despite the selloff in crude oil futures, retail gas prices continue to head higher. Behind the ongoing rise is a multi-faceted problem that is unlikely to resolve itself in the near-term. On May 16th, AAA reported that the national average for a regular gallon of gasoline was $3.96. Consumers are directly blaming oil companies and…
Read MoreBudding Inflation Concerns
While it is difficult to argue that inflation is officially a concern for the US, there is no doubt that inflation is heading higher. In each of the past three months, headline inflation – which includes the more volatile energy and food prices – exceeded economists’ expectations, the first time that this has occurred since…
Read MoreBeware The Commodity Costs of March
It should be no surprise to consumers that crude oil prices have a strong impact on day to day gasoline prices, but that relationship has not always been as strong as in recent years. According to data from the Energy Information Administration, crude oil prices account for an unsurprising 67% of the cost for each…
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