Free Republic

Making ends meet is a concern for one-third of U.S. consumers, even those making $100,000 or more a year, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. This is up from 28.7% a year ago. Among those able to pay their bills in full, more than a quarter worry they will be able to continue to cover their bills in the next six months, up from one-fifth a year ago. Thirty percent of those making $150,000 or more are concerned about their finances in the next six months.

Americans' inflation fears declined for the first time in over a year in January, although concerns over rising prices remained near a record-high level, according to a key Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey published Monday. The median expectation is that the inflation rate will be up 5.8% one year from now, down from an 11-year high of 6%, according to the New York Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Expectations. It marked the first time since October 2020 that consumers' short-term inflation expectations fell. Inflation expectations over the next three years also dropped to 3.5%, down from 4% last...