inflation

Federal Reserve Chair Powell Holds A News Conference Following The Federal Open Market Committee Meeting

The Fed cuts interest rates -- but Trump's election could make things trickier

2:01pm November 07, 2024

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter percentage point. How much further rates fall could depend on how President-elect Trump approaches his second term.

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Are greedy companies to blame for grocery inflation? We looked at the data

5:01am September 09, 2024

Many shoppers blame stores and manufacturers for supermarket inflation. But what do the companies' finances tell us?

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Everything you always wanted to know about inflation (but were afraid to ask)

6:00am August 17, 2024

NPR asked readers and listeners to send in their questions about inflation. We took the most common ones — and got answers from economists.

Inflation math is changing America's dinner plans

10:41am August 02, 2024

by Alina Selyukh

For the first time in years, people are buying more groceries, including pricier brands, to replace restaurant outings. From McDonald's to Starbucks, fast food and cafes are feeling it.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell Holds An News Conference On Interest Rates

Economy

The Federal Reserve is getting closer to cutting interest rates

10:20pm July 31, 2024

by Scott Horsley

The Fed kept interest rates unchanged at the highest in more than two decades. Investors are betting it will start to lower rates at its next meeting in September.

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A program in the eastern Upper Peninsula has helped build single family homes to mitigate some of the challenges of rising housing costs.

Economy

Are both rents AND interest rates too dang high?

6:15pm July 31, 2024

The Federal Reserve has once again opted to leave interest rates unchanged. That appears to be creating a big challenge to one part of the economy: housing prices. Today, we look at how elevated interest rates may actually be keeping home prices and rent high. Plus, we see how one community is taking the issue of housing affordability into its own hands.

Read the research paper co-authored by Julia Fonseca, Lu Liu, and Pierre Mabille.

Related episodes:
When mortgage rates are too low to give up (Apple / Spotify)
The housing shakeup (Apple / Spotify)
The highs and lows of US rent (Apple / Spotify)

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Sticker shock: How the supermarket has become a potent symbol of inflation in America

6:00am July 25, 2024

by Scott Horsley

Grocery prices are stabilizing, but many Americans still feel a financial sting at the grocery checkout aisle.

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Economy

Bankruptcy, basketball, and bringing the dollar down

5:48pm July 19, 2024

It's Indicators of the Week! We cover the numbers in the news that you should know about. This week, we cover climbing corporate bankruptcies, J.D. Vance's potential to bring the dollar down, and the NBA's new super serious salary cap.

Related episodes:
The Science of Hoops
Why Ecuador Uses The Dollar?

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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Arts

Food prices are no longer rising as much — but here's why it might not feel that way

4:40pm July 13, 2024

by Scott Horsley

Food prices have largely leveled off, but many people are still frustrated when they go to their local grocery store.

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Economy

How have rising prices affected you? What questions do you have about inflation?

10:14am June 17, 2024

Whether it's our grocery lists, travel plans or savings, most of us have felt the effects of rising prices. NPR wants to know how inflation has affected your life and answer your questions about it.