Free Republic

On Tuesday, the yield on the 10-year Treasury surged nearly 10 basis points in a few hours, rising above 4.49 percent. The rising yield came after the release of new price-inflation data showing that CPI growth had hit a five-month high and remained well above the Federal Reserve’s two-percent target for price inflation. Rising yields often indicate that bond investors believe price inflation will continue to grow, so it was probably no coincidence that bond yields—especially on longer-term bonds—jumped following the report’s release. Whatever the reason behind the rising yield, this is bad news for those who were looking for...

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) drew widespread mockery Thursday over a since-deleted social media post that showed how the cost of groceries skyrocketed under former President Joe Biden. The X post included a graph of soaring cheese, alcohol, dairy, grocery, produce and meat prices dating back to October 2019, with the major inflection point being near the start of the Biden administration in 2021. “Trump’s America,” read the tweet shared by @TheDemocrats. “Prices are higher today than they were on July 2024 all in major categories listed below,” read the caption on the graphic, which did not note the source...

London CNN — Extreme weather caused by climate change is driving up the prices of basic food products worldwide and posing wider risks to society, a new study has found. The cost of a wide range of goods – from vegetables in California to coffee in Brazil – saw dramatic spikes in recent years due to weather conditions that were “so extreme they exceeded all historical precedent prior to 2020,” according to the study led by Maximillian Kotz of the Barcelona Supercomputer Center. Previous studies have examined how high temperatures have affected the cost of food produce in the long...

Gas prices often increase in the summer as more motorists hit the road, but this year’s pump prices have dropped to match the summer of 2021, the last time seasonal gas prices were this low. The national average is down about 3 cents per gallon from last week, returning to the price from a month ago, $3.16. One year ago, gas prices were at $3.574. Gas prices were also at a four-year low on Independence Day. The White House is attributing the phenomenon to President Donald Trump’s energy agenda, which Energy Secretary Chris Wright told The Daily Signal can be...

On a sweltering morning as tourists line up for pictures with the famous welcoming sign, one topic of conversation dominates: when did Las Vegas become so expensive? Hannah Warren, a 50-year-old assistant costume designer from Essex, was still reeling from paying $33 for coffee and a bagel at the Fontainebleau hotel. Gary Langlois, a 65-year-old retired salesman from Minneapolis, paid $40 for two coffees and a couple of croissants. That is on top of the resort fees, parking charges and various other costs that have become a fact of life for Las Vegas tourists. Now, after a post-pandemic boom, there...

U.S consumer prices barely rose at all in May, the fourth straight month of mild inflation and a sign that the Trump administration’s tariffs have not raised prices on American households. The consumer price index, the government’s main inflation indicator, 0.1 percent compared with a month earlier, the Department of Labor said Wednesday. Core prices, a measure that excludes volatile food and energy prices, also climbed just 0.1 percent. Compared with a year ago, consumer prices are up 2.4 percent. Core prices have risen 2.8 percent. Economists had forecast prices would rise 0.2 percent, matching the tame inflation figure reported...

Brief represents the first time the Trump administration has weighed in on green investing issues.. The Federal Trade Commission is throwing its weight behind a high-profile federal lawsuit led by 12 Republican-led states accusing three of the world's largest asset managers—BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard—of artificially constricting the coal market in violation of U.S. antitrust laws, the Washington Free Beacon has learned. The filing in the case is a remarkable move that represents the first time the Trump administration has waded directly into an issue or case related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies. Led by powerful asset managers...

July arabica coffee (KCN25) Friday closed down -9.35 (-2.49%), and July ICE robusta coffee (RMN25) closed down -106 (-2.13%). Coffee prices on Friday fell sharply, with robusta posting a 5-week low. Signs of bigger coffee supplies are weighing on prices after Safras Mercado on Friday reported that Brazil's 2024/25 coffee sales were 97% done as of May 13, above the 94% from the same time last year. An increase in current coffee inventories is also pressuring coffee prices. ICE-monitored robusta coffee inventories rose to a 7-1/2 month high Friday of 4,890 lots. Also, ICE-monitored arabica coffee inventories rose to a...

Import prices ticked up slightly in April, driven by higher costs for nonfuel goods even as fuel prices continued to slide, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Import Price Index rose 0.1 percent in April, following a 0.4 percent decline in March. Over the past year, import prices were up just 0.1 percent. But excluding fuel, prices for imported goods rose 0.4 percent in April and were up 1.2 percent from a year earlier, suggesting continued resilience in U.S. demand for foreign goods despite the implementation of new tariffs in early April. The Trump...

Prices paid to U.S. producers of goods and services unexpectedly declined in April, defying predictions that tariffs would reignite inflation. The producer price index for final demand fell 0.5 percent last month, the Labor Department said on Thursday, the largest decline since April of 2020. Economists had forecast a 0.2 percent increase for the month. The prior month’s reading was revised up from a decline of 0.4 percent to flat. Compared with a year ago, the producer price index (PPI) is up 2.4 percent, in line with expectations. In March, the index was up 2.7 percent. The producer price index...

The anti-science freak-out predicting President Donald Trump’s tariffs would explode consumer prices has now been debunked as yet another legacy media hoax. The far-left Politico grudgingly admits: “Trump tariffs have little impact on prices so far, defying grim forecasts,” reads the headline. “Inflation climbed at the slowest pace since early 2021 in April, surprising economists who anticipated tariff-related increases,” reads the sub-headline. Notice how the propagandists at Politico lay the blame on “economists” for getting this wrong. But when the media cherry-pick the economists and experts to quote, the media are equally guilty. We all know how this game is...

President Trump vowed to bring “FAIRNESS TO AMERICA!” by deeply slashing prescription drug prices through an executive order he plans to sign Monday morning.

I was just wondering if you have gas prices below $2.00? I'm sure we'll get there, but friends I've spoken to haven't seen this yet.

She’s cracking. Gov. Kathy Hochul sounded off Wednesday about the “outrageous” price of eggs — jokingly telling New Yorkers to make chocolate cake with applesauce instead. The unprompted recipe suggestion came as Hochul, during a news conference in Midtown, slammed President Trump’s tariffs for driving up prices on everything from avocados to children’s toys. “And I’m done talking about the price of eggs — just give up eating them,” she said, drawing laughter. “It’s just outrageous, outrageous.” “You can make a really good chocolate cake with applesauce,” she added. “I digress, it’s also vegan.”

The price of products Amazon Inc. displays in its online store may soon include the listed price and how much was added to the value due to President Donald Trump’s tariff impositions. Punchbowl News reported on Tuesday that, according to a source familiar with the matter, the e-commerce giant will start showing the figure added to the value because of the duties right alongside a product’s total price. The move is reportedly an effort by Amazon to inform customers cost rises have nothing to do with it and everything to do with the Trump White House. Response to the reported...

People attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival are stunned once again about the food prices — and many festivalgoers are turning to social media to highlight just how expensive everything is. In videos shared on TikTok, Coachella attendees showed off what they ate and how much they paid for their meals or individual items. TikToker Ruth Viveros shared in a April 11 video that she spend $102 for two plates of three tacos, a plate of loaded nachos and two lemonades, with each lemonade costing $17 per cup. "They’re not good, not good at all," she said of...

U.S. egg prices increased again last month to reach a new record-high of $6.23 per dozen despite President Donald Trump’s predictions, a drop in wholesale prices and no egg farms having bird flu outbreaks.... ....The farms that had fall outbreaks have been working to resume egg production after sanitizing their barns and raising new flocks, but chickens must be about six months old before they start laying eggs. Thompson said those farms did not come back online as quickly as anticipated. The increase reported Thursday in the Consumer Price Index means consumers and businesses that rely on eggs might not...

U.S. consumer prices fell in March, pushed down by a decline in the price of goods and defying predictions that President Trump’s tariff plans would push up prices. This was the first drop in consumer prices in nearly three years and only the second decline since inflation accelerated under Joe Biden to the worst rates in decades. The consumer price index fell by 0.1 percent compared with the previous month after climbing each month since July 2022. Economists had forecast prices would rise by 0.1 percent. Core consumer prices, a measure that excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose by...

The price of eggs has taken a sharp plunge as Americans have watched the cost of the grocery staple shift downward since mid-February, Axios reported Friday. The drop in prices comes as the nation has been grappling with a bird flu outbreak that has affected egg prices and farmers, per Breitbart News. According to the Axios report, “The average wholesale price of a dozen eggs was $3 Friday, down 8% from $3.27 on March 21, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data released Friday.”

A Publix shopper has filed a lawsuit accusing the supermarket of using a deceptive pricing tactic to overcharge customers. Florida resident Wendy Koutouzis alleges that the chain’s self-checkout scales inflate the weight of meats and cheese, causing shoppers to pay more than the advertised price without realizing it.(snip) Her lawsuit, filed in a Miami federal court, seeks compensation not only for herself but also for any other customers who may have been unknowingly overcharged. The class-action case could impact shoppers across Florida and other states where Publix operates(snip) Koutouzis claims she was repeatedly overcharged at five Publix locations in Tampa,...