The last batch of inflation news that Federal Reserve officials will see before their meeting next week is in, and none of it is very good.

Key Points

  • Commerce Department indexes that the Fed relies on heavily for inflation signals showed prices continuing to climb at a rate still considerably higher than the 2% annual goal.
  • The stubborn inflation data raised several ominous specters, namely that the Fed may have to keep rates elevated for longer or even have to hike at some point.
  • Thus far, the economy has managed to avoid broader damage from the inflation problem, though there are some notable cracks.
    • @GarbanzoEnglish
      34•8 months ago

      What other companies? There’s just a handful of conglomerates and a few defacto monopolies who all stay out of each other’s lanes. Where they should be competing, they colude. We need to elect some trust busters but we keep being told our only options are keep things the same or burn it all down.

          • @[email protected]
            -1•8 months ago

            I’m seeing ten root nodes in that structure. Are you claiming that ten distinct market competitors are able to maintain a pricing cartel without any defection? That seems unlikely to me.

            • @GarbanzoEnglish
              9•8 months ago

              And yet the prices continue to rise, the corps are bringing in record profits, and the fed’s best efforts have only slightly slowed the upward push on prices. Think that’s just a coincidence?

              • @[email protected]
                -3•8 months ago

                I think it’s a lack of competition in the retail space, due to forced closure of businesses over the last few years. Consumer prices are set by the end seller, and they don’t have much competition at all.

                • @GarbanzoEnglish
                  4•8 months ago

                  It’s lack of meaningful competition all the way through the system