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Inflation

Is Trump ‘Making America Affordable Again’?

February 28, 2025 Natalia Marques, People's Dispatch. , , , , , ,
US President Trump ran his campaign on a pledge to “make America affordable again,” following the inflationary crisis during Biden’s administration. But since the beginning of his presidency, the cost of living crisis, including the cost of staple grocery items and rent, has persisted. Peoples Dispatch spoke to economist Richard Wolff, who outlined that “prices are shaped by many factors, and only a few of those are under the control of any president.” “Trump did what American politicians usually do, which is take a cheap shot at his political enemies by blaming them for something bad going on in this case, inflation,” Wolff said.

Inflation Poses Unique Challenges For Worker Co-Ops

February 5, 2025 Kenzie Love, Grassroots Economic Organizing. , , ,
Inflation is top of mind for many Canadian small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) these days. A recent survey of Canadian SMEs found 90 percent of them had been impacted by inflation, and another survey of 500 Canadian accountants revealed inflation as the most significant financial threat to Canadian SMEs. With the vast majority of Canadian worker co-ops being SMEs, it’s reasonable to assume that they’re also feeling these pressures. But delving deeper into the issue suggests that while worker co-ops face some of the same challenges as conventional businesses regarding inflation, how they respond is likely to be different.

Biden’s Pernicious Presidential Legacies

January 24, 2025 Dr. Jack Rasmus, World Financial Review. , , ,
Trump’s proposals to radically transform much of US economic and social policy are being rapidly rolled out during the first week of his administration. How much he succeeds or fails in that transformation will depend on a number of factors. High on the list of such factors is the residue of conditions and policies leftover by the Biden administration—i.e. the legacies of the Biden years. Those legacies will play an important role influencing, and perhaps even determining, how Trump may fare in implementing his plans.  So what are the legacy policies and conditions?

How To Escape The Federal Debt Trap

December 9, 2024 Ellen Brown, Scheer Post. , , ,
The U.S. national debt just passed $36 trillion, only four months after it passed $35 trillion and up $2 trillion for the year. Third quarter data is not yet available, but interest payments as a percent of tax receipts rose to 37.8% in the third quarter of 2024, the highest since 1996. That means interest is eating up over one-third of our tax revenues. Total interest for the fiscal year hit $1.16 trillion, topping one trillion for the first time ever. That breaks down to $3 billion per day. For comparative purposes, an estimated $11 billion, or less than four days’ federal interest, would pay the median rent for all the homeless people in America for a year.

Why Donald Trump Won The US Election

November 8, 2024 Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. , , , , , , , , , ,
Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential election in a landslide. Unlike in 2016, where Trump won the electoral college but lost the popular vote, this time he got 4 million more votes than his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. Why was Harris defeated so thoroughly? In short, because the billionaire-funded neoliberal Democrats failed to provide an economic alternative to the billionaire-funded Republicans’ pseudo “populism”. Polls consistently showed that the economy was the number one issue in the 2024 race. Concern about the state of the economy was at the highest level since the North Atlantic financial crisis of 2007-09.

Working People Place Cost Of Living As Top Concern In US Elections

October 29, 2024 Natalia Marques, People's Dispatch. , , , , , , , , ,
Just eight days remain until the people of the US head to the polls to decide their next president. The economy and inflation continues to be the top issue for voters by far, with eight in ten registered voters saying the economy will be very important to their vote according to the Pew Research Center. According to Gallup, the economy is the most important out of 22 issues voters were polled on, including “terrorism and national security”, immigration, education, healthcare, and crime. If one were to read exclusively the mainstream media, one would get the impression that all is well with the economy, that inflation is falling, and the job market is doing just fine.

Health Activists Picket Against High Cost Of Nutritious Food

October 20, 2024 Peoples Health Dispatch, People's Dispatch. , , , , , , ,
On World Food Day, October 16, the People’s Health Movement (PHM) South Africa organized a picket in front of the National Parliament to protest the high cost of healthy and nutritious food in the country. While the South African Constitution guarantees the right to food, PHM South Africa argued that only the wealthy can afford healthy meals today. “The soaring prices of nutritious food have placed it beyond the reach of millions, forcing many to resort to cheaper, ultra-processed foods,” they said. Ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to a long list of non-communicable diseases, including cancer and diabetes, make this a pressing social justice issue, the picket organizers noted.

Can The US Federal Reserve Really Control Inflation?

September 1, 2024 Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson, Geopolitical Economy. , , ,
Another August, another speech by the Federal Reserve Chairman at the Jackson Hole Conference, where top central bankers and economists go to hobnob. So what’s new? Well, plenty. The last two speeches by Chairman Jerome Powell in 2022 and 2023 had markets nose-diving. In 2022, appearing contrite about having considered inflation transitory, Powell signaled that the unrelenting rate rises and promised to do all it takes to slay the dragon of inflation. Markets, high as they have been on the easy money of recent decades, went into severe and violent withdrawal. The following year, having brought rates up from a low of 0.25 percent to 5.5 percent, Powell now promised to keep them higher for longer, as he put it, because that is what he considered necessary to quell the still-persisting inflation.

Two Years And $300 Billion Into Biden’s Climate Plan, Emissions Are Higher

August 26, 2024 Peter Gelderloos, In These Times. , , , , , ,
August 16 marked the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), legislation that has funneled hundreds of billions of dollars into green energy and electric vehicles. While the Act made unprecedented investments in renewable energy, it also faced criticism for being too little, too late and for compromising on fossil fuel extraction. In response, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan acknowledged the bill’s shortcomings but explained the administration’s approach: ​“We’re using every tool in our toolbox to drive down climate pollution as much as possible, as quickly as possible.”

(Mostly) Useful Government Numbers About Poverty, Jobs, Unemployment

July 19, 2024 Frank Stricker, Dollars and Sense. , , ,
The federal government generates millions of economic numbers in thousands of publications every year. Some of these publications can be useful for those of us who want to lift working-class living standards and build political support for shifting much more income to the working class and away from the ultra-rich households at the top of the income scale. But not all are as useful as they should be. I discuss and evaluate key publications in five areas. Much government information can be used to construct arguments for our side. The Poverty Line: A Failed Number Does the federal government regularly publish estimates of what a reasonably comfortable living standard would be for an average household?

The Fed’s ‘Chicken Run’: Sticking With High Rates Will Crash The Economy

June 27, 2024 Thomas Ferguson and Servaas Storm, Scheer Post. , , ,
On June 13th, financial markets discovered they had overestimated the likelihood that the Federal Reserve would soon be cutting interest rates. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks at his press conference and the Federal Open Market Committee’s freshly updated quarterly “Summary of Economic Projections” pointed forcibly to the conclusion that the Fed would likely cut rates only once before the end of 2024. In the midst of their own historic surge, US financial markets could mostly afford just to sigh. Reactions elsewhere were less sanguine: Some international commentators worried that higher for longer US rates would make repaying foreign dollar loans harder and accelerate a movement of capital out of the developing world.

Big Food, Big Profits, Big Lies

June 11, 2024 Veronica Riccobene, Portside. , , ,
As food costs have skyrocketed for Americans, some of the country’s biggest chains and grocery brands, including General Mills, PepsiCo, and Tyson, have blamed the price hikes on supply chain issues and economywide inflation. But behind the scenes, these companies have expanded profits and quietly authorized billions of dollars in lucrative stock buyback programs and dividend payouts to shareholders.

Used Clothing Market In US Grew 7x Faster Than General Clothing Retail

March 29, 2024 Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch. , , ,
Sales of secondhand clothing are on their way to making up 10 percent of the fashion market worldwide, as environmental concerns and high prices inspire consumers to shop for pre-loved items, according to a 2024 Resale Report by online thrift and consignment shop ThredUp. The 12th annual study, conducted by analytics firm GlobalData, includes projections through 2033. Its findings are based on a survey of 3,654 consumers in the United States, as well as a survey of 50 of the country’s top fashion brands and retailers, a press release from ThredUp said.

Farmers’ Protests Challenging EU Policies Spread To Eastern Europe

February 28, 2024 People's Dispatch. , , ,
Farmers and their unions in Eastern and Central Europe, are mobilizing in large numbers against growing economic distress. They have expressed their rejection of provisions in the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Green Deal, and against the high cost of production and low incomes, import of tariff-free grains from Ukraine war efforts, and exhaustive bureaucratic procedures in farm-related laws and regulations. Farmers affiliated with the Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic (AKCR), Slovak Chamber of Agriculture and Food Industry, unions in Poland, and many others participated in rallies and road blocks on February 22, demanding concrete policy measures from their respective governments and the European Union (EU) in solving their grievances.

It’s Important To Focus On Companies Using Inflation To Jack Up Prices

February 16, 2024 Janine Jackson, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , , ,
If you buy groceries, you know that prices are high. And if you read the paper, you’ve probably heard that prices are high because of, well, “inflation,” and “shocks to the supply chain,” and other language you understand, but don’t quite understand. One article told me that economists see pandemic-related spending meant to stabilize the economy as a factor, along with war-impacted supply chains and steps taken by the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates —all of which may be true, but still doesn’t really help me see why four sticks of butter now cost $8. Not to mention that the same piece talks matter of factly about “upward pressure on wages,” which sounds like people who need to buy butter are getting paid more, but I’m pretty sure the language is telling me I’m supposed to be against it.
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