Author: Jo Bruni

U.S. Job Gains Show Employers Are Optimistic About the Economy

Hiring took a giant leap forward in April, suggesting that employers have put aside fears of a looming recession. Employers added 263,000 jobs to the economy in April, the Labor Department said Friday –  considerably more than consensus forecasts of around 190,000. The unemployment rate declined to 3.6 percent, a […]

Five Things to Watch in the March Consumer Prices Report

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases measures of March consumer prices on Wednesday. Economists expect the headline Consumer Price Index to increase by 1.8 percent, and the core CPI, which excludes energy and food, by 2.1 percent. Increasing oil prices are pushing up the headline price index, which increased by […]

Already Burdened by Debt, Millennials Struggle to Buy Homes

One fears going into debt again. Another pays too much rent to save for a down payment. A third made huge sacrifices to buy a home despite a very good salary. Wage growth in the U.S. may have begun to accelerate, but it isn’t helping millennials who want to buy […]

Consumer Prices Poised for Moderate Increases in 2019

Consumer prices rose modestly in February after a three-month period in which prices remained unchanged, suggesting moderate inflation throughout  2019. The Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation in the United States economy, increased by 1.5 percent over the last 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday. This figure […]

Consumer Prices Aren’t Budging Despite Wage Growth

Consumer prices remained unchanged for the third consecutive month amid rapid job creation and wage growth, signaling to the Federal Reserve Board that planned interest rate increases may not be necessary after all. The 12-month percent change in CPI in January, that is, the consumer inflation rate over the last […]