Fed holds interest rates steady despite inflation concerns

Fed holds interest rates steady despite inflation concerns – CBS News Watch CBS News The Federal Reserve has voted to keep interest rates steady at the 3.5% to 3.75% target range despite concerns about inflation and oil prices. The decision was not unanimous. CBS News MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly O’Grady breaks it down. Source link

Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady amid signs inflation is cooling

The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that it is leaving its benchmark interest rate unchanged, a sign policymakers expect inflation to ebb despite higher energy costs due to the war in Iran.  This marks the fifth consecutive time the central bank has held rates steady this year. The last time Fed officials voted to change … Read more

Fed chair Kevin Warsh faces a key test as inflation compounds the affordability crisis

The debate over the best course for interest rates continued to swirl heading into Wednesday’s rate-setting vote at the Federal Reserve in Washington. While parts of the U.S. economy are relatively stable, like the labor market, experts say this stability could be undermined by the potential inflationary impacts of a longer Iran war or the … Read more

Inflation is creeping higher, with some Americans saying they’re squeezed: “It’s really challenging”

For Kasey McBlais, a 42-year-old single mom who lives in Maine with her two elementary school-aged children, the cost of running a household is only getting more expensive, from buying groceries to paying for her home’s upkeep. “It’s really challenging,” McBlais, who works at a nonprofit, says of managing her expenses. “It’s paycheck to paycheck.” … Read more

CPI rose at 2.7% annual rate in December as inflation remains sticky

The Consumer Price Index rose at an annual rate of 2.7% in the final month of 2025, in line with economists’ forecasts and unchanged from the prior month, capping a year when many Americans felt squeezed by price pressures. By the numbers The CPI was expected to rise 2.6% on an annual basis last month, … Read more

CPI report shows inflation cooled in January, with prices rising at a 2.4% annual pace

The Consumer Price Index rose 2.4% in January from a year ago, below economists’ forecasts and a sign that price pressures across the U.S. are easing.  By the numbers The CPI was expected to rise 2.5% on an annual basis last month, according to economists polled by financial data firm FactSet. The January CPI represents … Read more

The ‘rockets and feathers’ effect: Inflation eases but grocery bills do not

Economics has a term for what U.S. grocery prices have done in recent years: rockets and feathers. Rockets, because the cost of food eaten at home zoomed up in the aftermath of the pandemic. Feathers, because once prices rise, they’re slow to come down. That’s been frustrating for Americans hit with the sharpest increase in … Read more

More Americans report shoplifting as inflation climbs, survey finds

Thirty percent of Americans say they’ve shoplifted this year, up from 24% in 2024, with many citing financial strain tied to inflation, according to new research from financial site LendingTree. About 90% of those who admitted to shoplifting cited affordability concerns and the broader economy as among the drivers of their thefts, according to the LendingTree … Read more

Fed chair Warsh sidesteps Senate questions on inflation, AI, contact with Trump

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh on Wednesday sought to evade a range of questions from senators on issues such as the impact of AI on inflation, what contacts he has had with President Donald Trump, and how the central bank will determine the persistence of inflation. Warsh has said since taking office seven … Read more