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Consumer Price Index

National Interest
New Social Security Benefit Change Announced: What Recipients Should Know New Social Security Benefit Change Announced: What Recipients Should Know New Social Security Benefit Change Announced: What Recipients Should Know
New Social Security Benefit Change Announced: What Recipients Should Know Around 76 million Americans have a new number to factor into next year’s household budgets. The Social Security Administration announced on Wednesday, Oct. 14, that benefits will increase by 3.6 percent for 2027 through its annual cost-of-living adjustment, known as COLA. The adjustment translates to roughly $75 more per month for the average retired worker. Average disability and survivor benefits are expected to increase by about $59 monthly. Those are averages, not uniform increases for every recipient. The dollar change depends on the person’s benefit amount. For example, a monthly be…

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by Joe Lombardi
Arlington, VA
On Your Side
Jobless Claims Hit Four-Year High, Inflation Jumps As Labor Market Weakens Jobless Claims Hit Four-Year High, Inflation Jumps As Labor Market Weakens Jobless Claims Hit Four-Year High, Inflation Jumps As Labor Market Weakens
Jobless Claims Hit Four-Year High, Inflation Jumps As Labor Market Weakens Inflation rose faster in August while jobless claims spiked to their highest level since 2021, signaling a weakening job market as President Donald Trump's tariffs shake the economy. Consumer prices rose 0.4% in August and reached a yearly rate of 2.9%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released on Thursday, Sept. 11. That's the biggest monthly jump since January, when yearly inflation was 3.0%. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, climbed 0.3% in August and 3.1% over 12 months. Shelter, which makes up about one-third of the Consumer Pric…

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by Chris Spiker
Hartford, CT
On Your Side
Americans With Strongest Credit Scores Struggling As Trump Tariffs, Inflation Raise Costs Americans With Strongest Credit Scores Struggling As Trump Tariffs, Inflation Raise Costs Americans With Strongest Credit Scores Struggling As Trump Tariffs, Inflation Raise Costs
Americans With Strongest Credit Scores Struggling As Trump Tariffs, Inflation Raise Costs Americans with the strongest credit scores are falling behind on payments as inflation and President Donald Trump's tariffs drive up household costs throughout 2025, according to new data. Late-stage delinquencies, which are accounts more than 90 days past due, surged 109% year-over-year among superprime borrowers in July, VantageScore said in a report released on Monday, Aug. 25. Those delinquencies rose 47% among prime borrowers. Superprime and prime borrowers are typically considered the most financially secure. "Consumers in the highest VantageScore credit tiers are showing i…

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by Chris Spiker
Arlington, VA
On Your Side
Costs Rise While Stubborn Inflation Persists, Trump Tariffs Loom Over Economy Costs Rise While Stubborn Inflation Persists, Trump Tariffs Loom Over Economy Costs Rise While Stubborn Inflation Persists, Trump Tariffs Loom Over Economy
Costs Rise While Stubborn Inflation Persists, Trump Tariffs Loom Over Economy Prices for a wide range of products increased in July, even as inflation held steady, with economists expecting President Donald Trump's tariffs to further raise costs for many Americans. The Consumer Price Index rose by 0.2% in July and reached a yearly rate of 2.7%, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday, Aug. 12. That was barely lower than the 2.8% annual inflation expected in the Dow Jones forecast, CNBC reported. Core inflation, which doesn't include the volatile food and energy categories, jumped by 0.3%, bringing the annual rate to 3.1%. That's the hi…

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by Chris Spiker
Hartford, CT
On Your Side
Grocery Bills Causing Major Stress For Most Americans As Food Costs Rise: Poll Grocery Bills Causing Major Stress For Most Americans As Food Costs Rise: Poll Grocery Bills Causing Major Stress For Most Americans As Food Costs Rise: Poll
Grocery Bills Causing Major Stress For Most Americans As Food Costs Rise: Poll Most Americans say grocery prices are now a top source of stress, as inflation and President Donald Trump's tariffs drive up the cost of many everyday essentials, a new poll shows. About 86% said the cost of groceries is a "major" or "minor" source of stress in their lives, according to a national survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. More than half (53%) said supermarket prices were a major stressor, while just 14% said that groceries aren't a source of stress. Pollsters also found that two-thirds of households earning under $30,…

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by Chris Spiker
Arlington, VA
On Your Side
Inflation Holds Steady, Grocery Prices Drop As Trump's Trade Policies Cloud Outlook Inflation Holds Steady, Grocery Prices Drop As Trump's Trade Policies Cloud Outlook Inflation Holds Steady, Grocery Prices Drop As Trump's Trade Policies Cloud Outlook
Inflation Holds Steady, Grocery Prices Drop As Trump's Trade Policies Cloud Outlook Inflation was relatively flat as President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs went into effect in April, with lower grocery prices helping keep overall costs in check. Monthly inflation increased just 0.2% from March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Tuesday, May 13. Consumer prices rose 2.3% from April 2024, the smallest yearly inflation since February 2021. The annual inflation number was slightly below the 2.4% Dow Jones forecast, CNBC reported. Wall Street didn't react much to the consumer price index (CPI) data, with stocks and Treasury yields staying relatively unchanged when …

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by Chris Spiker
National Interest
Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP
Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is cracking down on a surprising contraband at the border—eggs. Egg-related seizures have surged 116% in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, with officials reporting 3,254 interceptions, according to CBP data. The spike comes as U.S. egg prices continue to soar, driven by a historic avian flu outbreak decimating poultry farms nationwide. Meanwhile, fentanyl seizures have fallen 32% year-over-year. While President Donald Trump has vowed to curb fentanyl trafficking, the more immediate smuggling crisis appears to be brea…

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by Jillian Pikora
Arlington, VA
On Your Side
Retail Spending Slips As Inflation Climbs In January, Adding To Economic Concerns Retail Spending Slips As Inflation Climbs In January, Adding To Economic Concerns Retail Spending Slips As Inflation Climbs In January, Adding To Economic Concerns
Retail Spending Slips As Inflation Climbs In January, Adding To Economic Concerns After a solid holiday season, US retail sales took a surprising step back to start 2025, snapping a streak of growth and fueling worries about the economy. Retail and food services sales fell 0.9 percent in January, according to Census Bureau data released on Friday, Feb. 14. The decline reversed the trend from December 2024's revised increase of 0.7 percent, signaling that consumers may be feeling the squeeze from rising prices. Economists had predicted only a slight decline, with Dow Jones estimating a 0.2 percent drop, NBC News reported. The sales totals were seasonally adjusted but…

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by Chris Spiker
Manhasset, NY
On Your Side
Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown
Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown Eggs are not the only food product seeing a sharp increase in prices. December grocery prices were nearly 28 percent higher than five years ago, reflecting how much harder families are finding it to manage their everyday expenses, The Wall Street Journal reports.  According to Labor Department data, grocery prices surged 1.8 percent year-over-year in December, marking the fastest increase in over a year, The trend started just after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2019, mainly due to pandemic-related supply chain issues. According to a Trace One analysis of US Bureau of Labo…

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by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
Most Expensive States: Here's Where NY Ranks, New Report Says Most Expensive States: Here's Where NY Ranks, New Report Says Most Expensive States: Here's Where NY Ranks, New Report Says
Most Expensive States: Here's Where NY Ranks, New Report Says A new ranking by CNBC has found that both New York and Massachusetts are part of the top 10 most expensive states to live in. The CNBC report, which was published on Friday, July 12, used an index of prices for a broad range of goods and services, which was calculated by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), alongside housing affordability and the cost to insure a median-priced home, to determine the list of spendy states. New York, which ranked in ninth place (tied with Florida, Rhode Island, and Washington), earned a grade of D- from CNBC’s “Top States for Business 202…

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by Sophie Grieser
White Plains, NY
Breaking News
Minimum Wage Increase In Westchester: Here's How Much It Will Rise As New Year Begins Minimum Wage Increase In Westchester: Here's How Much It Will Rise As New Year Begins Minimum Wage Increase In Westchester: Here's How Much It Will Rise As New Year Begins
Minimum Wage Increase In Westchester: Here's How Much It Will Rise As New Year Begins As the New Year draws closer, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is reminding residents that the state's minimum wage will increase as soon as the ball drops.  Beginning on Monday, Jan. 1, the minimum wage in New York City, Westchester County, and Long Island will go up to $ 16 per hour, and $15 per hour for the rest of the state, Hochul reminded residents on Wednesday, Dec. 27.  Earlier Report - Minimum Wage To Go Up In New York: Here's When, How Much Additionally, the minimum wage for home care aides will increase to $18.55 per hour in New York City, Westchester, and Lon…

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by Ben Crnic