Surging inflation has eased in recent months, but more evidence is needed to show that price increases are coming down in the long term, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
Prices rose half a percent in January, according to the latest consumer price index. That is up from a 0.1 percent decline in December, and five times the 0.1 percent increase in November.
The monthly uptick was in line with expectation, though the year-over-year rate came in higher than expected 6.4 percent, a marginal drop from a 6.5 percent rate in December.
Shelter (i.e. housing) contributed the largest share to the monthly increase, rising 0.7 percent.
Energy costs were also up across the board. The price of piped gas shot up 6.7 percent, while energy overall was up 2 percent after two straight months of declines.
Food prices, meanwhile, were up 0.5 percent. That is up from 0.4 percent in December, but still low relative to the last six months.
Used car prices also continued their steady decline, dropping 1.7 percent month-over-month and 11.6 percent year-over-year.
Despite the month-over-month drop, the annual rate has slowed for seven straight months.
Netflix is slated to give its Q1 report after the closing bell, and Jason Moser, a senior analyst at The Motley Fool, joined Cheddar News to give a preview of what to expect from the streaming giant's earnings. "I think Netflix, like many businesses out there the last couple of years, says it's pulled forward a lot of success just due to the pandemic, and that's not necessarily a bad thing," he said. "But it does alter the picture, the growth picture maybe, going forward." Moser also noted that the streaming space for Netflix is especially competitive now as opposed to about a decade ago.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 19, 2022, with a federal judge voiding mask mandates on public transportation, updates from the Russia and Ukraine war, Mac Miller’s drug dealer sentenced for involvement in the rapper's death, and more.
Twitter has dropped a major roadblock in front of Elon Musk’s effort to take over the company, leaving investors to wonder about the mercurial Tesla CEO’s next move.
A federal judge’s decision to strike down a national mask mandate was met with cheers on some airplanes but also concern about whether it’s really time to end the order sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A recent report in Bloomberg revealed widespread discrimination against Black homeowners, making the wealth gap in our country even wider. The report found Wells Fargo rejected more than half of Black applicants seeking to refinance their homes in 2020 while approving over 70% of white applicants. Brad Lander, NYC comptroller, joins Cheddar News to discuss how the city is taking action in response to these reports.
