Economy

Social Security Benefits To Increase 8.7% In 2023

From the Social Security Administration: Approximately 70 million Americans will see a 8.7% increase in their Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments in 2023. On average, Social Security benefits will increase by more than $140 per month starting in January. Federal benefit rates increase when the cost-of-living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price …

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Labor Dept Issues Strong Jobs Report For September

CNBC reports: Job growth fell just short of expectations in September and the unemployment rate declined despite efforts by the Federal Reserve to slow the economy, the Labor Department reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls increased 263,000 for the month, compared to the Dow Jones estimate of 275,000. The unemployment rate was 3.5% vs the forecast of 3.7%. A drop of 25,000 …

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EU Inflation Topped 10% For August Versus Last Year

Courthouse News reports: Inflation in the 19-nation eurozone rose to 9.1% in August, up 7.1% from just a year earlier, according to data released Friday by Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency. It remains 1% lower than the 10.1% inflation rate across the broader 27-member EU, which recorded a rate of just 3.2% in August 2021. The latest EU rate broke …

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UK Pound Slides To Lowest Level Vs USD Since 1985

The Wall Street Journal reports: The British pound slid to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar since 1985, a reflection of the U.K.’s dire economic situation. Investors are braced for sterling to weaken even further to a nadir not seen in more than two centuries of trading across the Atlantic. The pound fell 0.3% in early Monday trading in …

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Labor Dept Reports 315K New Jobs Added In August

USA Today reports: Hiring slowed sharply in August but remained sturdy as employers added 315,000 jobs despite softer consumer spending gains, rising interest rates and a sputtering economy. The unemployment rate rose from 3.5% to 3.7%, the Labor Department said Friday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had estimated that 300,000 jobs were added last month. Many experts reckoned August finally would …

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EU Saw Record 8.9% Year-On-Year Inflation Rate In July

Reuter reports: Euro zone inflation reached a new record high of 8.9% year-on-year in July, the EU’s statistics office confirmed on Thursday, with the core measure, excluding the most volatile components and key for monetary policy, also sharply up. The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said consumer prices in the 19 countries using the euro rose in July for a …

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CNBC: July Jobs Report Is “Far Better Than Expected”

CNBC reports: Hiring in July was far better than expected, defying signs that the economic recovery is losing steam, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls rose 528,000 for the month and the unemployment rate was 3.5%, easily topping the Dow Jones estimates of 258,000 and 3.6%, respectively. Wage growth also surged higher, as average hourly earnings jumped …

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Exxon And Chevron Report Record Quarterly Profits

The New York Times reports: Exxon reported income of $17.9 billion for the three months through June, more than three times what it earned a year ago. Revenue at the energy giant jumped to $115.6 billion, from $67.7 billion a year ago. Chevron’s performance was similar, with profit more than tripling to $11.6 billion as sales rose to $65 billion, …

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Commerce Dept: Economy Shrank For Second Quarter

Bloomberg News reports: The US economy shrank for a second straight quarter, raising chances of a recession, as decades-high inflation undercut consumer spending and Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes stymied business investment and housing demand. Gross domestic product fell at a 0.9% annualized rate after a 1.6% decline in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department’s preliminary estimate …

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Federal Reserve Hikes Interest Rates To Cool Inflation

The New York Times reports: The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point on Wednesday, continuing its aggressive campaign to cool rapid inflation even as the economy begins to slow. Central bankers voted unanimously to make the unusually large interest rate move, and the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee signaled in its post-meeting statement that more …

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Biden Celebrates As Gas Prices Decline For 8th Week

Bloomberg News reports: US retail gasoline prices fell below $4.50 a gallon for the first time since mid-May, starting to ease pressure at the pump for millions of Americans. The nationwide average was at $4.495 a gallon, according to data released on Tuesday by the American Automobile Association. Prices have fallen more than 10% since hitting a record last month …

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Inflation Report: June Prices Up 9.1% Over Last Year

CNBC reports: Shoppers paid sharply higher prices for a variety of goods in June as inflation kept its hold on a slowing U.S. economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. The consumer price index, a broad measure of everyday goods and services, soared 9.1% from a year ago, above the 8.8% Dow Jones estimate. That marked another month of …

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June Jobs Report Crushes Expectations: 372K New Jobs

CNBC reports: Job growth accelerated at a much faster pace than expected in June, indicating that the main pillar of the U.S. economy remains strong despite pockets of weakness. The unemployment rate was 3.6%, unchanged from May and in line with estimates. Nonfarm payrolls increased 372,000 in the month, better than the 250,000 Dow Jones estimate and continuing what has …

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428K New Jobs In April, Unemployment Flat At 3.6%

The Washington Post reports: U.S. employers added 428,000 jobs in April, capping a year of solid growth, adding more fuel to an already robust recovery. The unemployment rate remained steady at a pandemic low of 3.6 percent, the Labor Department said Friday. The labor market has added more than 6.5 million jobs during the past year and is on pace …

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KS Town Leaders Ban “Adult Co-Living” Arrangements

The Kansas City Star reports: On Monday, a Johnson County city unanimously voted to ban a living arrangement aimed at helping tenants decrease the amount of rent they pay. The Shawnee City Council voted 8-0 to ban co-living, which has gained popularity in recent years as rent and home prices have soared. The new ordinance defines a co-living group as …

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New York AG Investigates Price Gouging By Oil Giants

Politico reports: State Attorney General Tish James is launching an investigation into whether oil companies are taking advantage of inflation and the Russian invasion in Ukraine to jack up prices. “Soaring gas prices are forcing working New Yorkers and low-income families to make difficult decisions on whether to pay bills or put food on the table,” James said Wednesday in …

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Labor Dept: March Prices Rose 8.5% Over Last Year

The Washington Post reports: Prices rose 8.5 percent in March compared with a year ago, the largest annual increase in four decades, as Russia’s war in Ukraine drove up energy prices even higher and policymakers launched a major effort to get soaring inflation under control. The inflation data, released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed prices rose 1.2 …

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Trudeau Proposes Ban On Foreigners Buying Homes

The BBC reports: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has proposed a two-year ban on some foreigners buying homes. The measure comes as the country grapples with some of the worst housing affordability issues in the world. Prices have jumped more than 20%, pushing the average home in Canada to nearly C$817,000 ($650,000; £495,000) – more than nine times household income. …

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New Jobless Claims Fall To Lowest Level In 53 Years

CNBC reports: The labor market tightened further last week, with initial jobless claims falling to their lowest level in more than 53 years, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Initial filings for unemployment dropped to 166,000, well below the Dow Jones estimate of 200,000 and 5,000 under the previous week’s total, which was revised sharply lower. The total of those receiving …

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Rising Prices Upend NYC’s “Pizza-Subway Principle”

Bloomberg News reports: The “pizza principle,” a mainstay of New York economics for more than four decades, states that a slice of cheese pizza will always be the same price as a subway ride. The rule has largely held true since first conjectured in the New York Times in 1980, with any increase in pizza prices tending to predict a …

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