<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Inflation &#8211; eZNews</title>
	<atom:link href="https://eznews.xyz/tag/inflation/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://eznews.xyz</link>
	<description>Tech News, Gaming, Travel</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:20:58 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8</generator>

<image>
	<url>https://eznews.xyz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cropped-eznews-icon-1-32x32.jpeg</url>
	<title>Inflation &#8211; eZNews</title>
	<link>https://eznews.xyz</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
	<item>
		<title>Why Trump&#8217;s call for the Fed to cut interest rates may not help consumers</title>
		<link>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/why-trumps-call-for-the-fed-to-cut-interest-rates-may-not-help-consumers/</link>
					<comments>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/why-trumps-call-for-the-fed-to-cut-interest-rates-may-not-help-consumers/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sasa]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:20:58 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[World News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[121163280]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial markets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Government policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inflation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International trade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stocks and bonds]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://eznews.xyz/world-news/why-trumps-call-for-the-fed-to-cut-interest-rates-may-not-help-consumers/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[President Donald Trump is badgering the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, but even if the Fed gave in to the pressure, it wouldn&#8217;t necessarily lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers. In fact, economists say, Trump&#8217;s ongoing attacks on Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his tariff policies could keep the longer-term interest rates that [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> <br />
</p>
<div data-testid="prism-article-body">
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC ">President Donald Trump is <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-trump-powell-federal-reserve-6eb45ff17915b321366dbe1c5bb15e43">badgering the Federal Reserve</a> to cut interest rates, but even if the Fed gave in to the pressure, it wouldn&#8217;t necessarily lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">In fact, economists say, Trump&#8217;s <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/powell-trump-federal-reserve-interest-rates-7931193eb7ec39eb9dfa61169be2c17c">ongoing attacks</a> on Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933">tariff policies</a> could keep the longer-term interest rates that matter for consumers and businesses higher than they otherwise would be. A less-independent Fed can lead, over time, to higher borrowing costs, as investors worry that inflation may spike in the future. As a result they demand higher yields to own Treasury securities.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Trump has <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-trump-jerome-powel-4710172f1fd4d6493769ac0b81703c01">repeatedly urged Powell</a> to cut the short-term interest rate that the central bank controls. The Fed typically reduces its rate during an economic downturn to encourage more borrowing and spending, and raises it to cool the economy and fight inflation when prices rise. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">But long-term rates on things like <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/mortgage-rates-housing-interest-financing-home-72e42b3ead363d64d2cf42a1d676647a">mortgages</a>, auto loans, and credit cards are largely set by market forces. And in recent weeks, fears that Trump&#8217;s sweeping tariffs could raise inflation, along with the administration&#8217;s <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/powell-trump-federal-reserve-interest-rates-7931193eb7ec39eb9dfa61169be2c17c">threats to the Fed&#8217;s independence</a>, have led markets to push those longer term rates higher. It&#8217;s not clear that the Fed can fully reverse those trends by itself. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“It’s not automatically true that even if the Fed were to cut rates, that you would see a measured decline in long-term interest rates,” Francesco Bianchi, an economist at Johns Hopkins University, said. “This kind of pressure on the Fed might backfire&#8230;if markets don&#8217;t believe the Fed has inflation under control.&#8221; </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Trump renewed calls on Wednesday and Thursday for Powell to reduce the Fed&#8217;s short-term rate, telling reporters that the chair is “making a mistake” by not doing so. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">And last week, Trump <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-powell-federal-reserve-fed-termination-b6148c8048dda538a6ca3b5a270fd09e">suggested he could fire Powell</a>, while a top aide said that the White House was “studying” whether it could do so.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Stock markets plunged in response, the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond rose, and the dollar fell, <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/dollar-trump-tariffs-trade-safe-haven-china-c108fd36a3122f85872ad34ba5f5d977">an unusual combination</a> that suggested investors were selling most American assets. Markets recovered those losses after Trump <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-trump-jerome-powel-4710172f1fd4d6493769ac0b81703c01">said on Tuesday</a> that he had “no intention” of firing the Fed chair. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Still, the threats to the Fed&#8217;s independence unnerved Wall Street investors, because they see a Fed free from political pressure as critical to keeping inflation in check. An independent Fed can take unpopular steps, such as raising rates, to fight inflation. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“Threatening the Fed doesn’t soothe markets — it spooks them,” said Lauren Goodwin, chief market strategist at New York Life Investments. “And the result is often the opposite of what any administration wants to see: higher rates, weaker confidence, and more market turmoil.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Since Trump began imposing tariffs in early March, when he slapped duties on Canada and Mexico, the 10-year Treasury yield has risen from 4.15% to about 4.3%. The yield is a benchmark for mortgage rates and other borrowing. Mortgage rates, in turn, have increased during that time, from 6.6% to 6.8%. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">While Trump says he is negotiating over tariffs with many countries, most economists expect some level of duties to remain in place for at least this year, including his 10% duties on nearly all imports.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The 10-year yield did fall Thursday when two Federal Reserve officials said that rate cuts are possible as soon as this summer, should the economy falter and unemployment rise. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Yet last fall, longer-term interest rates also fell in anticipation of rate cuts, but then rose once the <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rates-inflation-prices-federal-reserve-economy-0283bc6f92e9f9920094b78d821df227">Fed cut in September</a> and then continued to rise as the central bank reduced its rate again in November — two days after the election — and <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-inflation-loan-rates-economy-prices-7474747d890c0fdcc87454fd4c80aaa4">in December</a>. Mortgage rates are now higher than they were when the Fed cut. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">A range of factors can affect longer-term Treasury rates, including expectations for future growth and inflation, as well as the supply and demand for government bonds. Bianchi worries that stubbornly high government budget deficits — which are financed by trillions of dollars of Treasurys — could also lift long-term rates. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Should the Fed cut rates now, llonger-term borrowing costs “would move in the opposite direction, absolutely,” Goodwin said, “because the threat of inflation is so palpable &#8212; that move would call their credibility into question.&#8221;</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Trump said in a social media post this week that there is “virtually No Inflation” and as a result, the Fed should lower its key rate, from its current level of about 4.3%. Many economists expect the central bank will do so this year. But Powell has underscored that the central bank <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-tariffs-federal-reserve-3dd54eb572f1d37e202a8a30223fc14d">wants to evaluate the impact</a> of Trump&#8217;s policies before making any moves. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Inflation has fallen in recent months, dropping to 2.4% in March, the lowest level since last September. Yet excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core inflation was 2.8%. Core prices often provide a better signal of where inflation is headed. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">A key issue for the Fed is that the economy is very different now than it was during Trump&#8217;s first term. Back then inflation was actually below the Fed&#8217;s target. At that time, it was a “no-brainer” to cut rates, Bianchi said, if there was a threat of a recession, because inflation wasn&#8217;t an issue.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">But now, tariffs will almost certainly lift prices in the coming months, at least temporarily. That raises the bar much higher for a Fed rate cut, Bianchi said. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Still, once there are clear signs the economy is deteriorating, such as a rising unemployment rate, the Fed will cut rates, regardless of what Trump does, economists said. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Trump on Monday accused Powell of often being “too late” with his rate decisions, but ironically the Fed may move more slowly this time because of the threat of higher prices from tariffs. Without clear evidence of a downturn, Fed officials would worry about being seen as giving in to political pressure from Trump if they cut. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“Powell knows the irreparable damage that would occur if it was perceived that he cut because he was forced to by Trump,” said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at PGIM Fixed Income. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The Fed now “will be even more delayed because I think you’re going get more of an inflation lift initially, before you get the more pronounced slowing in growth,&#8221; Porcelli said. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Either way it may take more than a Fed cut or two to bring down longer-term borrowing costs, Bianchi said. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN ">“To really lower long-term rates you need to provide a stable macroeconomic environment, and right now we are not there yet,&#8221; he added.</p>
</div>
<p><br />
<br /><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trumps-call-fed-cut-interest-rates-consumers-121163280">Source link </a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/why-trumps-call-for-the-fed-to-cut-interest-rates-may-not-help-consumers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<media:content url="https://i1.wp.com/i.abcnewsfe.com/a/d828c9a0-1163-4e5d-8962-41eef3bfa74f/wirestory_e698dca7ceddf382c1b030e7bf1bd202_16x9.jpg" medium="image"></media:content>
				</item>
		<item>
		<title>Wholesale inflation fell March as price pressures eased, but trade war clouds outlook</title>
		<link>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/wholesale-inflation-fell-march-as-price-pressures-eased-but-trade-war-clouds-outlook/</link>
					<comments>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/wholesale-inflation-fell-march-as-price-pressures-eased-but-trade-war-clouds-outlook/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sasa]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2025 13:06:31 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[World News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[120711317]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inflation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International trade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retail and wholesale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. news]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://eznews.xyz/world-news/wholesale-inflation-fell-march-as-price-pressures-eased-but-trade-war-clouds-outlook/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON &#8212; U.S. wholesale prices fell last month in another sign that inflationary pressures are easing. But President Donald Trump’s trade wars cloud the outlook. The Labor Department said Friday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — fell 0.4% from February, first drop since October 2023. Compared with [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> <br />
</p>
<div data-testid="prism-article-body">
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC "><span class="oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB  ">WASHINGTON &#8212; </span>U.S. wholesale prices fell last month in another sign that inflationary pressures are easing. But <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-trump-tariffs-2e05057e973e1e26d1b95c5be003b4cd">President Donald Trump’s trade wars</a> cloud the outlook.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The Labor Department said Friday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — fell 0.4% from February, first drop since October 2023. Compared with a year earlier, producer prices rose 2.7%, down from a 3.2% year-over-year gain in February and much lower than the 3.3% economists had forecast. Gasoline prices fell 11.1% from February and egg prices, which had skyrocketed because of bird flu, plummeted 21.3%.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale inflation fell 0.1% from February, the first drop since July. Compared to a year earlier, core producer prices were up 3.3% and lower than economists had forecast.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The report comes a day after the Labor Department <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-tariffs-964784cc5697c2f0df5bb79806392e3c">delivered good news on inflation</a> at the consumer level. Its consumer price index rose just 2.4% last month from March 2024, the smallest year-over-year gain since September. Core consumer prices posted the smallest year-over-year increase in nearly four years.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The inflation outlook is muddied by Trump’s trade wars. He’s imposing a 145% tax — a tariff — on Chinese imports and is hitting most of the rest of the world’s imports with a 10% levy that might go up after 90 days.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN ">The trade barriers are widely expected to raise prices as importers attempt to pass along their higher costs. </p>
</div>
<p><br />
<br /><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-wholesale-inflation-fell-month-price-pressures-eased-120711317">Source link </a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/wholesale-inflation-fell-march-as-price-pressures-eased-but-trade-war-clouds-outlook/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<media:content url="https://i1.wp.com/i.abcnewsfe.com/a/13dcdfc6-e185-4f58-a513-084c40e2e803/wirestory_5fd4468880467a93bd9141660dde5e5f_16x9.jpg" medium="image"></media:content>
				</item>
		<item>
		<title>Trump&#8217;s comments won&#8217;t affect interest rate decisions by the Fed, Powell says</title>
		<link>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/trumps-comments-wont-affect-interest-rate-decisions-by-the-fed-powell-says/</link>
					<comments>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/trumps-comments-wont-affect-interest-rate-decisions-by-the-fed-powell-says/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sasa]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:38:22 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[World News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[118739963]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inflation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jobs and careers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. news]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://eznews.xyz/world-news/trumps-comments-wont-affect-interest-rate-decisions-by-the-fed-powell-says/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON &#8212; Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that President Donald Trump&#8217;s calls for lower interest rates won&#8217;t lead the central bank to change its rate decisions. “People can be confident that we’ll continue to keep our heads down, do our work, and make our decisions based on what’s happening in the economy,” Powell [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> <br />
</p>
<div data-testid="prism-article-body">
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC "><span class="oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB  ">WASHINGTON &#8212; </span>Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that President Donald Trump&#8217;s <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump">calls</a> for lower interest rates won&#8217;t lead the central bank to change its rate decisions. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“People can be confident that we’ll continue to keep our heads down, do our work, and make our decisions based on what’s happening in the economy,” Powell said, under questioning from members of the House Financial Services Committee. Powell spoke on the <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rates-powell-fed-trump-4b0cc2df7809761b42e93964773afffe">second day</a> of his semiannual testimony to Congress. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Earlier Wednesday, Trump said on social media that “Interest Rates should be lowered, something which would go hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!!” </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Yet Powell indicated during a press conference <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-jobs-federal-reserve-7f174d13518f7ab8a49fa284e869dab9">last month</a> that the Fed, after cutting its key rate three times late last year, would hold off on further cuts as it waited for evidence that inflation is moving closer to its 2% target. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">And many Fed officials want to wait and see how Trump&#8217;s policies, including the <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-imports-matched-tax-rate-3f12fcab7f7065bcd846f00926935ba5">tariffs he has proposed</a> and those he has put in place, affect the economy. Most economists worry that tariffs will at least temporarily push up inflation. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">On Wednesday, the government reported that inflation <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-federal-reserve-48e77a855078b37bf3ccd58c9db94c82">picked up last month</a>, with consumer prices rising 3% in January from a year earlier, up from a 3 1/2 year low of 2.4% in September. The uptick makes it even less likely the Fed will cut its key rate anytime soon. The Fed&#8217;s rate influences borrowing costs throughout the economy, including mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN ">The Fed cut its key rate three times last year, to about 4.3% from 5.3%, but said in January that it would keep its rate unchanged until inflation declined further. Fed officials in December had forecast that they would implement two cuts this year, but some economists now think the Fed may be on hold all year. </p>
</div>
<p><br />
<br /><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/powell-trumps-comments-affect-interest-rate-decisions-fed-118739963">Source link </a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/trumps-comments-wont-affect-interest-rate-decisions-by-the-fed-powell-says/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<media:content url="https://i1.wp.com/i.abcnewsfe.com/a/1192b252-22e0-47af-9fd6-e7ebc24187db/wirestory_2aea2360510ea1175aaa98917f35262d_16x9.jpg" medium="image"></media:content>
				</item>
		<item>
		<title>US businesses brace for Trump&#8217;s tariffs to drive up costs</title>
		<link>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/us-businesses-brace-for-trumps-tariffs-to-drive-up-costs/</link>
					<comments>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/us-businesses-brace-for-trumps-tariffs-to-drive-up-costs/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sasa]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 02 Feb 2025 06:39:57 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[World News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[118356449]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Construction and engineering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Government policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inflation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International trade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. news]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://eznews.xyz/world-news/us-businesses-brace-for-trumps-tariffs-to-drive-up-costs/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON &#8212; From an ice cream parlor in California to a medical supply business in North Carolina to a T-shirt vendor outside Detroit, U.S. businesses are bracing to take a hit from the taxes President Donald Trump imposed Saturday on imports from Canada, Mexico and China — America’s three biggest trading partners. The levies — [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> <br />
</p>
<div data-testid="prism-article-body">
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC "><span class="oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB  ">WASHINGTON &#8212; </span>From an ice cream parlor in California to a medical supply business in North Carolina to a T-shirt vendor outside Detroit, U.S. businesses are bracing to take a hit from the taxes <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-trade-china-mexico-canada-inflation-753a09d56cd318f2eb1d2efe3c43b7d4">President Donald Trump imposed Saturday</a> on imports from Canada, Mexico and China — America’s three biggest trading partners.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The levies — 25% on Canadian and Mexican and 10% on Chinese goods – will take effect Tuesday. Canadian energy, including oil, natural gas and electricity, will be taxed at a lower 10% rate. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Mexico’s president immediately ordered retaliatory tariffs and Canada’s prime minister said the country would put matching 25% tariffs on up to $155 billion in U.S. imports. China did not immediately respond to Trump’s action.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The Budget Lab at Yale University estimates that Trump&#8217;s tariffs would cost the average American household $1,000 to $1,200 in annual purchasing power. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Gregory Daco, chief economist at the tax and consulting firm EY, calculates that the tariffs would increase inflation, which was running at a 2.9% annual rate in December, by 0.4 percentage points this year. Daco also projects that the U.S. economy, which grew 2.8% last year, would fall by 1.5% this year and 2.1% in 2026 “as higher import costs dampen consumer spending and business investment.’’</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz, California, has had to hike prices of its ice cream — including popular flavors “strawberry pink peppercorn’’ and “chocolate caramel sea salt’’ — repeatedly in recent years as an inflationary surge increased the cost of its supplies. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“I feel bad about always having to raise prices,’’ said co-owner Zach Davis. “We were looking forward to inflation coming down, the economy stabilizing in 2025 &#8230; Now with the tariffs, we may be back at it again.’’</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Trump tariffs, Davis said, threaten to drive up the cost of the mostly made-in-China refrigerators, freezers and blenders he’ll need if Penny Ice Creamery goes ahead with plans to add to its six shops. He still has painful memories of the extra equipment costs the company had to absorb when Trump slapped massive tariffs on China during his first term.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The new tariffs will also raise the price of a customer favorite — sprinkles — which Penny Ice Creamery imports from a company in Whitby, Ontario. Tacking a 25% import tax on even something as small as that can damage a small business like his. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“The margins are so slim,’’ he said. “Being able to offer that add-on can maybe generate an additional 10 cents in profit per scoop. If a tariff wipes that out, that can really be the difference between being profitable and being break-even and even being underwater by the end of the year.’’</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">In Asheville, North Carolina, Casey Hite, CEO of Aeroflow Health, expects to take a hit because his company gets more than half its supplies — including breast pumps — from Chinese manufacturers, providing them to American patients through insurance plans. Aeroflow Health gets paid by insurers at pre-negotiated rates, put in place before Trump decided on his tariffs. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Hite said the tax on Chinese imports would hit the company’s finances, forcing it either to purchase cheaper and lower-quality products or pass higher costs along via higher health insurance premiums. Those might take two years to materialize, Hite said, but eventually they would hit consumers’ budgets. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“It will impact the patients,” Hite said. “In time, patients pay more for the products.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Even the made-in-USA absorbent incontinence pads Aeroflow Health buys aren’t safe from Trump’s import taxes. They may include pulp from tariff target Canada and plastics and packaging from China, according to the Aeroflow Health, which warns of “turbulences” from the tariffs.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“Is this going to affect our business? You bet it is,’’ said Linda Schlesinger-Wagner, who owns skinnytees, a women’s apparel company in Birmingham, Michigan, north of Detroit, that imports clothing from China. She said the 10% tax would increase her costs, though she plans to absorb the extra expense instead of passing it along to customers.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“I don’t like what’s going on,’’ she said, referring to the broader impact of the tariffs. “And I think people are going to be truly shocked at the pricing they’re going to see on the cars, on the lumber, on the clothes, on the food. This is going to be a mess.’’</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">William Reinsch, a former U.S. trade official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that many companies that stocked up on imported goods ahead of time to avoid the tariffs. They will be able to draw on their piled-up inventories for weeks or a couple of months, delaying their customers’ pain. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">George Carrillo, CEO of the Hispanic Construction Council, an industry advocacy group, said construction companies have been hoarding materials in anticipation of Trump’s actions, but he worries about the possibility of inflation spiking in three to six months.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“Once that inventory starts to get low, we’re going to start feeling the effects,” Carillo said in a phone interview Saturday, ahead of the announcement. “Developers and general contractors need to keep up with the pace and they’re going to start buying more products and it’s going to be at a higher price point.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">All that will be exacerbated by an emerging immigration crackdown that is already spooking the construction industry’s labor pool, he said.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“You put tariffs and you put workforce instability, it’s going to create major delays in projects. It’s going to create an increase in prices because of the lack of availability,” Carrillo said.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Then there are the industries that don&#8217;t have the luxury of stockpiling, including supermarkets whose farm products will spoil. So the tariff impact will show up on grocery shelves within days. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“You don’t stockpile avocados,’’ Reinsch said. “You don’t stockpile cut flowers. You don’t stockpile bananas.’’</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">In the tomato trading hub of Nogales, Arizona, produce vendor Rod Sbragia, who followed his father into the business nearly four decades ago, worries that the import levies will force some distribution companies out of business and “would be detrimental to the American consumer, to the choices they have at the supermarket.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Sbragia voted for Trump in the past three elections and calls himself a “staunch Republican.” The president, he said, must not have been properly advised on the matter. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“When we’re worried about cost to consumers, inflationary pressures and the overall health of our population,’’ he asked, “why are we going to make it more difficult to get access to fresh fruits and vegetables?”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">American farmers are also likely to get caught in Trump’s trade tussle with Canada, China and Mexico. The president’s supporters in rural America make a tempting target for retaliatory tariffs. That is what happened in Trump’s first term when other countries, notably China, slapped back against the president’s tariffs with levies of their own on things like soybeans and pork. In response, Trump spent billions in taxpayer money to compensate them for lost sales and lower prices.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Many farmers are now counting on the president to come through and protect them from reprisals.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“The Trump administration provided a safety net,” said former tobacco grower Lee Wicker, deputy director of the North Carolina Growers Association, a collection of 700 farms that lawfully brings in foreign temporary laborers to work the fields through a federal visa program. Many of the association&#8217;s farmers “trust him that he’s going to take care of anybody who’s hurt by the tariffs, and that’s really all that we can ask for.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">____</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN ">AP Staff Writers Mae Anderson and Cedar Attanasio in New York; Mike Householder in Birmingham, Michigan; Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Gabriel Sandoval in Phoenix; and Didi Tang and Christopher Rugaber in Washington contributed to this story.</p>
</div>
<p><br />
<br /><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-businesses-brace-trumps-tariffs-canada-mexico-china-118356449">Source link </a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/us-businesses-brace-for-trumps-tariffs-to-drive-up-costs/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<media:content url="https://i0.wp.com/i.abcnewsfe.com/a/7d2060d3-0f5f-4b4a-9130-167d260d90ea/wirestory_69bd5b4f66eeef3e0e803e0595888f23_16x9.jpg" medium="image"></media:content>
				</item>
		<item>
		<title>Trump says inflation isn&#8217;t his No. 1 issue. So what will happen to consumer prices?</title>
		<link>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/trump-says-inflation-isnt-his-no-1-issue-so-what-will-happen-to-consumer-prices/</link>
					<comments>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/trump-says-inflation-isnt-his-no-1-issue-so-what-will-happen-to-consumer-prices/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sasa]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Jan 2025 14:27:14 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[World News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[118115845]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Immigration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inflation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Washington news]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://eznews.xyz/world-news/trump-says-inflation-isnt-his-no-1-issue-so-what-will-happen-to-consumer-prices/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON &#8212; Two months ago, in his first network television interview after the election, Donald Trump said he owed his victory to Americans&#8217; anger over immigration and inflation, specifically the rising cost of groceries. “When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> <br />
</p>
<div data-testid="prism-article-body">
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC "><span class="oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB  ">WASHINGTON &#8212; </span>Two months ago, in his first network television interview after the election, <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> said he owed his victory to Americans&#8217; anger over immigration and inflation, specifically the rising cost of groceries.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press. “And I won an election based on that. We’re going to bring those prices way down.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">But in Trump&#8217;s first week back in the White House, there was little in his initial blitz of <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/what-has-trump-done-trump-executive-orders-f061fbe7f08c08d81509a6af20ef8fc0">executive orders</a> that directly tackled those prices, besides directing federal agencies to start <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/delivering-emergency-price-relief-for-american-families-and-defeating-the-cost-of-living-crisis/">“pursuing appropriate actions.”</a> He is taking steps to lower energy costs, something that Trump hopes will have ripple effects throughout the economy. Otherwise, his focus has been clamping down on immigration, which he described as his “No. 1 issue” shortly after taking the oath of office.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“They all said inflation was the No. 1 issue. I said, ‘I disagree,’” Trump said. “I talked about inflation too, but how many times can you say that an apple has doubled in cost?”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Trump is banking on voters giving him a pass and <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-election-2024-eggs-trump-6690e93b2817f28ebc314c088cbec267">continuing to blame former President Joe Biden</a> for high prices. The Republican&#8217;s comments reflect the reality that presidents have almost no levers to reduce inflation quickly without causing collateral damage to other parts of the economy. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">There is more that Trump can do on energy. He is pushing to reduce regulations and <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-alaska-arctic-refuge-drilling-2db02694a0496678903124788758c05a">increase the amount of land</a> available for drilling. He is trying to persuade domestic and foreign oil producers to potentially sacrifice their own profits <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-davos-tariffs-taxes-world-economic-forum-85aa42fb7751bedc1643c5a0e465a053">by pumping more.</a></p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">During a rally Saturday in Las Vegas, Trump went after his Democratic predecessor for allowing prices to rise under his watch, and promised to take care of the problem quickly. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“When I think of Biden, I think of incompetence and inflation,” Trump said. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Inflation peaked at a 9.1% annual rate in June 2022 during worldwide supply chain problems after the economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. Overall consumer prices have fallen since then, but have ticked up in recent months, from 2.4% in September to 2.9% in December, the latest figures available. Economists have warned that Trump&#8217;s plans for tariffs and tax cuts could create new inflationary pressures and keep interest rates elevated.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Vice President JD Vance, in an interview with CBS&#8217; “Face the Nation” airing Sunday, defended the White House&#8217;s work so far. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“Prices are going to come down, but it’s going to take a little bit of time, right?” he said. He added, “Rome wasn&#8217;t built in a day.” </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Trump&#8217;s relative shift away from addressing costs could create an opening for Democrats to say he is not helping working-class voters, hoping that argument could offer the party a path back to power in Washington. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Trump preferred to distract people from inflation with talk of adding Greenland to the United States or seizing the Panama Canal.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“It’s catnip and it causes everybody to stop paying attention to their actual economic agenda, which has nothing to do with lowering costs and everything to do with rigging the economy to help the Mar-a-Lago crowd,” he said.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">During an interview on Fox News this past week, host Sean Hannity struggled to get Trump to focus on the economy. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">&#8220;Let me get to the economy,” Hannity said at one point. “I’m running out of time.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“The economy is going to do great,” Trump insisted.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">When Trump did talk about inflation in the interview, he noted how low it was during his first term and insisted prices would not have jumped up if he had president after the 2020 election, even though higher inflation was a global trend coming out of the pandemic.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">It is not clear how Trump would persuade oil companies and foreign countries to quickly increase production, possibly costing them profits. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The Energy Information Administration reported that domestic oil production has grown at an annual rate of roughly 8.4% over the past two years to an average of nearly 13.5 million barrels a day in October. Some Trump aides suggest that could increase by an additional 3 million barrels a day.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">It would be difficult to achieve that much additional production in a single year without serious changes to the global market. The International Energy Agency estimates that the oil supplied to the entire world will increase by 1.8 million barrels per day to 104.7 million barrels a day. He also has expressed opposition to climate-friendlier wind and solar energy, putting more pressure on the U.S. economy to rely on fossil fuels.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">EJ Antoni, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, said the potential increase in energy production under Trump would ultimately flow through the economy in the form of lower prices.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">“If you’re going to bring down the cost of energy, you’re going to bring down the cost of all kinds of goods and services,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">But there is a risk that some of Trump&#8217;s plans taken as a whole could raise — not reduce — prices. Deporting migrants who are in the United States illegally could deprive companies of lower wage workers. The cost of tariffs, which are taxes placed on foreign imports, could be passed on to consumers.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Trump said that his strategy also might ultimately involve <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-economy-inflation-interest-rates-borrowing-6ef86392b080ca963ec633546009409b">publicly pressuring the Federal Reserve</a> to cut interest rates, saying in Davos that he would “demand” lower rates from central banks. The Fed sees its political independence as key for making tough choices to stabilize prices. Biden saw the independence as worth protecting, whereas Trump sees it as problematic.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The Fed raised its benchmark rates starting in 2022 to make it more expensive to borrow and succeeded enough in reducing inflationary pressures that it could trim rates late last year. Trump believes that greater oil production will put him in a position to tell the Fed what to do.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN ">Asked in the Oval Office if he expects the Fed to listen to him, Trump simply said, “Yeah.”</p>
</div>
<p><br />
<br /><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/trump-inflation-1-issue-happen-consumer-prices-118115845">Source link </a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/trump-says-inflation-isnt-his-no-1-issue-so-what-will-happen-to-consumer-prices/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<media:content url="https://i0.wp.com/i.abcnewsfe.com/a/a7baff4f-50e6-4e73-ab79-25daa9c93b5c/wirestory_c8afa45fc2b44471d55a1516e99ea351_16x9.jpg" medium="image"></media:content>
				</item>
		<item>
		<title>US unemployment claims fall to the lowest level since March</title>
		<link>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/us-unemployment-claims-fall-to-the-lowest-level-since-march/</link>
					<comments>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/us-unemployment-claims-fall-to-the-lowest-level-since-march/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sasa]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2025 13:54:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[World News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[117266577]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Government programs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inflation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Labor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. news]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://eznews.xyz/world-news/us-unemployment-claims-fall-to-the-lowest-level-since-march/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON &#8212; The number of Americans applying for unemployment checks dropped last week to the lowest level since March, suggesting that suggest most workers enjoy unusual job security. Jobless claims dropped by 9,000 to 211,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which strips out week-to-week ups and downs, fell [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> <br />
</p>
<div data-testid="prism-article-body">
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC "><span class="oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB  ">WASHINGTON &#8212; </span>The number of Americans applying for unemployment checks dropped last week to the lowest level since March, suggesting that suggest most workers enjoy unusual job security.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Jobless claims dropped by 9,000 to 211,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which strips out week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 3,500 to 223,250.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The overall numbers receiving unemployment benefits fell by 52,000 to 1.84 million.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The U.S. job market has cooled considerably from the red-hot hiring days of 2021-2023 when the economy was bounding back from COVID-19 lockdowns. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Through November, employers added an average of 180,000 jobs a month in 2024, down from 251,000 in 2023, 377,000 in 2022 and a record 604,000 in 2021. Still, even the diminished job creation is solid and a sign of resilience in the face of high interest rates. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">When the Labor Department releases hiring numbers for December on Jan. 10, they&#8217;re expected to show that employers added 160,000 jobs last month. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The weekly jobless claims numbers are a proxy for layoffs, and those have remained below pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate is at a modest 4.2%, though that is up from a half century low 3.4% reached in 2023.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">To fight inflation that hit four-decade highs two and a half years ago, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rates 11 times in 2022 and 2023. Inflation came down — from 9.1% in mid-2022 to 2.7% in November, allowing the Fed to start cutting rates. But progress on inflation has stalled in recent months, and year-over-year consumer price increases are stuck above the Fed&#8217;s 2% target.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN ">At its December meeting, the Fed went ahead and cut its benchmark interest rate for the third time in 2024. But the central bank’s policymakers signaled that they’re likely to be more cautious about future rate cuts: They projected just two in 2025, down from the four they had envisioned in September.</p>
</div>
<p><br />
<br /><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/us-unemployment-claims-fall-211000-lowest-level-march-117266577">Source link </a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/us-unemployment-claims-fall-to-the-lowest-level-since-march/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<media:content url="https://i2.wp.com/i.abcnewsfe.com/a/9b439609-e17b-4666-b131-50ca9c40c15c/wirestory_ae4832c3e937f5789a3de71cce98202f_16x9.jpg" medium="image"></media:content>
				</item>
		<item>
		<title>Some in industry see Trump as fishermen&#8217;s friend, but tariffs could make fish pricier</title>
		<link>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/some-in-industry-see-trump-as-fishermens-friend-but-tariffs-could-make-fish-pricier/</link>
					<comments>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/some-in-industry-see-trump-as-fishermens-friend-but-tariffs-could-make-fish-pricier/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sasa]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Dec 2024 09:34:14 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[World News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[116754238]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate and environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environmental conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Government policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inflation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oceans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Whales]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://eznews.xyz/world-news/some-in-industry-see-trump-as-fishermens-friend-but-tariffs-could-make-fish-pricier/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[PORTLAND, Maine &#8212; The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes for one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy — seafood — and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture, as they fear [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> <br />
</p>
<div data-testid="prism-article-body">
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC"><span class="oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB">PORTLAND, Maine &#8212; </span>The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes for one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy — seafood — and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture, as they fear Trump’s <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china-59239afe12033ca99c65c7a2be0e4f0d">pending trade hostilities</a> with major trading partners Canada and China could make an already pricy kind of protein more expensive to consumers. Conservationists also fear Trump&#8217;s emphasis on government deregulation <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-maine-portland-f8475b0cda55e26ef0145e95447b963f">could jeopardize</a> fish stocks that are already in peril.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">But many in the commercial fishing and seafood processing industries said they are excited for Trump’s second presidency. They said they expect he’ll allow fishing in protected areas as he did in his first presidency, crack down on offshore wind expansion and cut back regulations they describe as burdensome. And they expect a marked shift from the administration of President Joe Biden, who <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-government-and-politics-2c5afd5a5466acf8a015a17ff014bb4b">prioritized ocean conservation</a> and <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/offshore-wind-new-england-coal-avangrid-biden-clean-energy-vineyard-wind-bf26a48331c46f352bafeb6c2ac4068d">championed wind power</a> from the start.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">The seafood industry isn&#8217;t hungry for <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/general-news-1365ebf14923370856354c2d4c5e5308">another tariff war</a>, which hurt fishermen during Trump&#8217;s first term, said Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen&#8217;s Association. But she said the new Trump administration has a unique chance to throw its support behind U.S. fishermen. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">“I think we should be focused on feeding Americans,” Casoni said. “The ‘America First’ administration I think will make that point loud and clear. Know where your food is coming from.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">But the seafood industry, which is international in nature, could be seriously disrupted if Trump goes through with a plan to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada, said John Sackton, a longtime industry analyst and founder of Seafood News. Canada is the largest seafood market for the U.S. for both imports and exports, and nearly a sixth of the seafood imported by the U.S. is from its northern neighbor, according to federal statistics published in November. In total about 80% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. </p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">Losing Canada — an especially important buyer of American lobster — as a market for U.S. seafood could cause prices to fishermen to collapse, Sackton said. And some products could become unavailable while others become more expensive and still others oversupplied, he said. He described the seafood industry as “interdependent on both sides of the border.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">In Canada, members of the country&#8217;s seafood industry are watching closely to see what changes Trump ushers in, said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">“A potential trade war will cost everyone more (in Canada and the U.S.) and cause damage to the seafood section in Canada and the United States,” Irvine said via email. “We are working with allies in Canada and the U.S. to send this message to all governments.”</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">One of the major changes for fishermen under a new Trump administration is that they can expect to have a seat at the table when high-level decisions get made, said representatives for several commercial fishing groups. Last time around, Trump <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/568982b0f51b59ca28fb83e3b828802f">sat down with fishermen</a> and listened to their concerns about loss of fishing rights in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a nearly 5,000-square mile (13,000 square kilometers) protected area off New England, said Robert Vanasse, executive director of industry advocate Saving Seafood.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">That goodwill is likely to carry over into Trump&#8217;s new presidency. And the industry feels it has already scored a win with election of a president who is an outspoken critic of offshore wind power, said Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney who represents the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Sustainable Scalloping Fund. Fishermen of valuable seafoods such as scallops and lobsters have long opposed offshore wind development because of concerns wind power will disrupt prime fishing grounds.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">“There is excitement in the industry that offshore wind will basically be contained to its existing footprint and nothing beyond that,” Minkiewicz said.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">Others in the industry said they&#8217;re concerned about how Trump will handle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that regulates fisheries. The undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, who is currently the Biden-appointed Rick Spinrad, will be one of Trump&#8217;s key appointees. Trump went through three different administrators at the post during his first term of office.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">The industry has recently suffered major recent crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and trade hostilities with another <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-science-business-portland-global-trade-2f6c8c5f7b18d947a0baccc141eafef3">major trading partner</a> in Russia, and isn&#8217;t in a position to withstand unstable leadership, said Noah Oppenheim, coordinator for Fishing Communities Coalition, which represents small-scale commercial fishing groups.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">&#8220;The Fishing Communities Coalition is always deeply concerned that any administration’s shifts away from a fishery management focus on conservation and accountability will do serious lasting damage to the industry,&#8221; Oppenheim said.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">Conservation groups who have pushed for <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/right-whale-protection-ships-fishing-73c862746306a15263f67a3ab7f9255d#:~:text=PORTLAND%2C%20Maine%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94,a%20vanishing%20species%20of%20whale.">stricter vessel speed rules</a> and new fishing standards, such as new gear that is <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://apnews.com/article/rare-whale-deaths-lobster-fishing-9984ba5581ac978d61d39068ee358891">less likely to harm whales</a>, said they&#8217;re also waiting to see the direction Trump takes fisheries and ocean policy. They said they&#8217;re hopeful progress made under Biden can withstand a second Trump presidency.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">“It would be extraordinarily short-sighted for the incoming administration to ignore the science and set off a fishing free-for-all that will only hurt fisheries — and healthy oceans — in the long run,” said Jane Davenport, a senior attorney with Defenders of Wildlife.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy">___</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN">This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.</p>
</div>
<p><br />
<br /><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/seafood-industry-trump-fishermens-friend-tariffs-make-pricier-116754238">Source link </a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://eznews.xyz/world-news/some-in-industry-see-trump-as-fishermens-friend-but-tariffs-could-make-fish-pricier/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<media:content url="https://i2.wp.com/i.abcnewsfe.com/a/7595105c-ce7e-46c7-864e-188151ee0cba/wirestory_e34a879b477287dc642d2ab2536e1017_16x9.jpg" medium="image"></media:content>
				</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
