#inflation

#inflation

Turning 70 used to be the finish line for portfolio building, but with life expectancy stretching toward the eighties and healthcare inflation outpacing the CPI, the real race is making sure the checks outlive you rather than the other way around. The sweet spot for soon-to-be retirees is no longer the 2% yield. The economy is volatile, and trade policies are being changed rapidly. And there's a risk that the next administration will undo these changes and spark a decades-long

Fast food is getting expensive, and it's hard not to notice. What was once the go-to for quick, affordable meals has started to feel like a splurge. According to a Finance Buzz analysis, average fast food prices have jumped between 39% and 100% between 2014 and 2024 (inflation rose only 31% during that same period). Gone are the days of the true dollar menu.

For one in three Americans, a single surprise bill could spell financial crisis. That's according to a new survey by Empower, a retirement and financial services company, which found 32% of Americans have no emergency savings set aside. But not everyone is equally short on cash: Gen Zers have a median of $400 in their crisis funds, while boomers have saved up to five times as much.

Travel demand has soared back in the second half of the year, and that's good news for the economy at large, too, according to United Airlines' CEO. Scott Kirby told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday that demand significantly improved at the beginning of July. "It was like a light switch coming on," he added. The summer travel period is key for airlines, while Labor Day and Thanksgiving are also significant revenue drivers.

It's not that Americans or the data are wrong - consumers do have legitimate concerns. It's that some of the financial pressures people are feeling, like increased financing costs for auto loans or closing costs on home mortgages, don't necessarily show up in the major datasets like the Consumer Price Index,

McDonald's, Burger King, and Olive Garden have all recently unveiled discounted menu offerings as low- and middle-class consumers have been more loudly signaling that they are feeling pinched by inflation and anxiety about a weakening jobs market. IHOP's new nationwide, everyday $6 value offering ($7 in some pricier markets) features four breakfast meals, ranging from a ham-and-cheese omelet that's paired with buttermilk pancakes to scrambled eggs with cheese and hickory-smoked bacon and served with hash browns.

Here is what you could expect to pay more for - and for how much more in comparison to August 2024 - the next time you need to restock your fridge, according to the latest data: Roasted coffee: 21.7% Uncooked beef steaks: 16.6% Eggs: 10.9% Apples: 9.6% Candy & chewing gum: 8.1% Bacon: 7.2% Noncarbonated juices & drinks: 7.1% Frozen fish & seafood: 6.7% Bananas: 6.6% Oranges: 5.2% Canned fruits: 4.3% Chicken: 4.2%

The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged Thursday with inflation back under control and the economy weathering Trump's tariff onslaught better than expected. The bank's rate-setting council left its benchmark deposit rate unchanged at 2% at a meeting at its skyscraper headquarters in Frankfurt. The focus in Europe has shifted to the fiscal crisis in France and any possible role for the ECB in containing potential market turmoil that could erupt from the country's out-of-control deficit and political logjam.

Reality check: At the end of July Lutnick posted to X that "the Trump Economy has officially arrived," citing a strong GDP report. Since then, a combination of weak jobs data and hot inflation reports has painted a very different picture of an economy struggling to grow. Just Thursday, the Consumer Price Index showed inflation rising for a fourth consecutive month, while initial jobless claims were the highest in years.

The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged today, as expected, but offered no clues about its next move, even as investors continue to bet that more support will be needed as inflation dips below target next year.

U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell in August amid a compression in trade services margins and mild increase in the cost of goods, suggesting that domestic businesses were probably absorbing some of the tariffs on imports. The lack of strong producer price pressures, despite import duties, could also be signaling softening domestic demand against the backdrop of a struggling labor market. The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates next Wednesday, with a quarter-percentage-point reduction fully priced in, after pausing its easing cycle in January because of uncertainty over the impact of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs.

Sandwich maker Potbelly is being acquired by the gas station and convenience store chain RaceTrac for $566 million. Potbelly, which was founded in Chicago in 1977, has 445 restaurants across the U.S. company said the deal with RaceTrac will help it reach its goal of quadrupling in size to 2,000 locations. Potbelly stores are both company- and franchise-owned.

Inflation has continued to chip away at our purchasing power despite the modest raises we may have gotten from our employers or the inflation-adjusted boost to various benefits. Indeed, inflation seems more or less tamed when you have a look at the CPI (consumer price index) figures. However, there's a palpable difference between the headline inflation number and what everyday Americans are experiencing. Inflation is cooling, but why does it feel like a 2.7% Cola isn't quite enough? Undoubtedly, nosediving gasoline prices have dragged down the CPI number under the 3% mark. But for the many Americans who don't drive, they're not feeling all too much in the way of relief. Food inflation was a tad hotter than the headline inflation figure at just a hair shy of 3%.

"I use debt as money and I don't save cash because in 1971 the dollar became debt," he added, referring to the Nixon shock, where the former president ended the convertibility of the US dollar into gold, devalued the currency, and ultimately, led to the rise of cryptocurrencies. Instead, Kiyosaki uses debt to buy assets, like gold, which can withstand market crashes and spiraling inflation-unlike cash saved in the bank. "If I go bust, the bank goes bust," he added. "Not my problem."

Some Republicans already fear inflation could cost them dearly in the 2026 midterms, warning Trump has only a few months to reset his trajectory on voters' most important issue. For a president whose credibility on the economy has always been his strongest asset, the prospect of the bottom falling out is uniquely dangerous. State of play: Trump's approval rating on inflation and cost of living currently sits at -24, nearing Biden's lows during the peak of the 2022-23 price surge.

On the contrary, Bitcoin, being a scarce asset, which tends to appreciate over time by cyclically cutting its issuance until the maximum limit of 21 million, is proving to reduce the time preference. As it appreciates over time, small savings in the present can generate significant future benefits, thus increasing the propensity to save and plan for the future. This simple fact has profound implications at a social level, because it reflects in greater investment in education, deeper human relationships or greater care for the environment.

A conservative group aligned with congressional GOP leadership has been distributing polling data to Hill Republicans that shows 25% of voters view inflation as the most important issue facing the country. That's more than double the percentage of the second-ranked concern - government corruption - according to the polling by the GOP firm GrayHouse. Senate Republicans also are being confronted with polling that indicates voters see the party as not focused enough on rising costs and the prospect of shortages of items such as drugs, groceries and toys. Party operatives have conducted focus groups in which voters express support for Trump's moves on foreign policy but want more efforts to counter inflation.

The last time unemployment was 5% was in August 2021. The job market was rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic, which had driven the jobless rate to 14.8% in April of the previous year. Economists often refer to 5% as "full employment." Above that level, there is a possibility of an inflationary increase. The jobless rate was 4.2% in July. It is up a fraction from 3.4% in April of last year.

One of the emails that parents dread most during summer months is the list of school supplies that will be required for their children's classes. Sometimes, it coincides with having to buy a new computer, clothes and shoes, in addition to tuition payments and monthly preschool fees. All this makes back-to-school the second-largest annual expense for families. The annual ritual is further complicated this year by a combination of cumulative price increases over the last few years and expected price hikes due to tariffs.

High home prices and mortgage rates have created unaffordable conditions for many Americans, but the housing market's ability to create more wealth has sputtered. That's because even as home prices continue to hover around record levels, they are also edging lower and lagging behind the rate of inflation, which has heated up amid President Donald Trump's tariffs. "For the first time in years, home prices are failing to keep pace with broader inflation," said NicholasGodec, head of Fixed Income Tradables & Commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices, in a statement on Tuesday.

Wall Street traders drove stocks lower amid a selloff in tech shares that have powered the surge from April's meltdown. That's despite economic data that did little to alter bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts, with bonds and the dollar seeing small moves. Equities fell after a rally that drove the S&P 500 to all-time highs. The market is bracing for what has historically been the weakest month for US shares.