Inflation

Traders’ and investors’ moods began to sour on Wednesday afternoon following the release of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes.

Americans grew more pessimistic in February as inflation fears surged and economic confidence weakened.

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic warns of economic uncertainty and labor market cooling in latest quarterly message.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he loved the idea of sending DOGE savings back to American taxpayers in the form of checks.

‘We need less government expenditure in general, and particularly less interference that clouds the economic fundamentals’, UNSW economist Gigi Foster.

Plane fares, rising food costs, and a sharp jump in private school fees helped push inflation higher.

The cash rate has been cut by 25 basis points.

Since the avian influenza outbreak began, the nation’s top three egg-producing states—Iowa, Ohio, and Indiana—have lost more than 55 million birds.

Rates are likely to remain in a high 6 percent range going into the spring market, said a real estate expert.

Americans took on more debt in late 2024, with rising delinquencies in auto loans and credit cards, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York report.

Prices for health care services declined, indicating that inflation could ease.

With inflation no longer at the peak seen during Biden’s presidency, Trump has ramped up pressure on the Fed chair to lower rates.

Prices soared in January as millions of chickens were killed to contain a bird flu virus. Several major retailers have imposed limits on purchases.

Energy, food, and shelter pushed inflation higher in January.

Dutton stresses the RBA needed to base its decisions on economic factors, not external pressure, ahead of the Feb. 18 meeting.

Thirty essential grocery items will cost the same in remote areas as they do in the cities, the government has announced. The move is part of Closing the Gap.

Consumer confidence fell to a seven-month low in February as inflation expectations surged, suggesting complications for the Fed’s inflation fight.

‘He and I are focused on the 10-year Treasury,’ Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview.

Consumer spending and government outlays drove much of the fourth-quarter growth.

The president said that if the Fed had focused less on DEI and ‘fake climate change,’ inflation wouldn’t have been a problem.