Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the author of The Great Money Bubble and former director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Reagan administration, David Stockman on the newsmaker line to breakdown the ramifications of a national budget spun out of control.
Read the full storyTag: inflation
Electricity Prices Jumped More than Double that of Inflation Last Year, Consumer Index Shows
Prices for electricity in the United States soared well above overall inflationary levels last year, putting an added squeeze on consumers already reeling from significantly inflated costs of most consumer goods.
The Consumer Price Index Summary released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics this month showed the 12-month average price of electricity last month jumping a whopping 14.3 percent, more than double the 6.5 percent of overall price increases.
Read the full storyWall Street Guru and Finance Expert Liz Peek Gives Her 2023 Forecast on the American Economy
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Fox News contributor and financial guru Liz Peek to the newsmaker line to give her outlook for Wall Street and the economy for 2023.
Read the full storyNew Survey Shows Wisconsin Businesses See Recession Ahead
Battered by ongoing high inflation, a majority of Wisconsin businesses see a recession ahead, according to Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce’s latest Wisconsin Employer Survey.
WMC’s survey finds 60 percent of businesses believe the Badger State economy is headed for a recession this year. On the surface, the number appears to be an improvement from last summer’s survey when 71 percent of respondents worried a recession was looming. But Nick Novak, WMC’s vice president of communications and marketing, said more employers moved from being sure about a recession to uncertain about the economy.
Read the full storyCommentary: Wokeness Is Hollowing Out The Fed
Are you wondering why checking out at the grocery store these days feels like making a mortgage payment? This week’s four-decade-high inflation is a direct result of the Federal Reserve taking its eye off the ball over the last two years. Instead of focusing on its mandate of keeping prices stable, it has been more concerned with financing massive federal deficits and kowtowing to liberal ideology.
But now the Fed chair is claiming just the opposite.
Read the full storyKemp Budget Proposal Includes More Tax Rebates, Spending on Schools and Police, and a 2024 Cost of Living Increase for State Employees
Governor Brian Kemp announced his budget proposal on Friday, highlighting $250 income tax rebates, one-time discounts on homeowner property tax, and spending on education, economic development, improving healthcare access, and a $2,000 cost-of-living increase for state employees.
“Despite national economic headwinds caused by 40-year high inflation, Georgia’s economy remains a leader nationwide. As we look ahead to the upcoming fiscal year, we expect the state’s economy to be well positioned to withstand any further national economic slowing,” he said in a letter to lawmakers.
Read the full storyNonprofit Says Georgians Are Still Hurting from Inflation
While the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers dropped 0.1% in December and the year-over-year inflation rate stands at 6.5%, a Georgia nonprofit says Peach State residents may not be feeling the good news.
“We keep seeing positive headlines about the inflation rate, but that good news is lost on average Georgians who are continually pinched on the cost for everyday necessities like groceries and gas,” Erik Randolph, Georgia Center for Opportunity’s director of research, said in a statement. “Although there was some positive news in the December numbers, it’s important to keep in mind that core inflation remained elevated, including for food. If policymakers in Washington truly want to help the most economically vulnerable in our country, they must return to fiscal sanity and rein in the spending.
Read the full storyAt Inauguration, Georgia Gov. Kemp, LG Jones Call for Tax Relief, Money for Law Enforcement and Schools, and Tougher Sentencing Guidelines
During their inaugural speeches, Governor Brian Kemp and newly-elected Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones painted a picture of Republican successes in Georgia but called for further tax relief, investment in schools and health care, and tough-on-crime policies. “Last year on the campaign trail, no matter where we went, hard-working Georgians told us about the pain they and their families were feeling at the pump, at the grocery store, in everyday life, thanks to 40-year-high inflation. I know these pains haven’t gone away,” Kemp said Thursday after being sworn in for a second term. The inauguration came amid the first week of the legislature’s session, and a day before Kemp’s office will share his budget proposals with legislators. Kemp said his proposal would include $2,00o pay raises for state employees, including teachers and law enforcement; $150 million in grants to address learning loss; $1 billion set aside for income tax refunds; and $1.1 billion for homeowner property tax relief. In his speech, Jones praised Kemp for his leadership and said Kemp made Georgia the first state to reopen the economy amid COVID-19. “We have a $6 billion surplus. Our unemployment rate is a record low. We’ve created hundreds of thousands of new…
Read the full storyConsumers Are Paying Record Credit Card Rates Due to Inflation
Average interest rates for bank-issued credit cards this past November surpassed a record set in 1985, Axios reported Wednesday, citing data from the Federal Reserve.
The previous record rate was 18.9%, set in the first quarter of 1985, with November’s rate of 19.1% comfortably eclipsing it, according to Axios. Credit card interest rates climbed alongside the Federal Reserve’s federal funds rate, which the Fed hiked a historically aggressive pace in 2022 to blunt economic demand and reduce the impact of inflation, NPR reported.
Read the full storyGeorgia Gas Tax Moratorium Ends, Rises to 31.2 Cents
Governor Brian Kemp allowed Georgia’s moratorium on state gas and diesel taxes to expire on Tuesday night, after first introducing the moratorium in May and renewing it six times since then.
In 2022, Georgia’s gas tax was 29.1 cents and the diesel tax at 32.6 cents, but that’s going up on Wednesday to 31.2 cents and 35 cents, respectively. As of January 10, before the taxes took effect, Georgia’s average gas price was $2.808, below the national average of $3.270, according to AAA Gas Prices.
Read the full storyYoungkin at 52 Percent Approval in VCU Poll
Governor Glenn Youngkin is at 52 percent approval, 32 percent disapproval in a Virginia Commonwealth University Poll that comes as he makes a pitch for tax cuts and business incentives ahead of a General Assembly session beginning January 11.
“Poll respondents feel that inflation needs to be dealt with and democracy ensured for our future,” former governor L. Douglas Wilder said in an announcement of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs poll.
Read the full storyFinance Professor Murray Sabrin Talks 2023 Economic Outlook, ‘We Have a Mess on Our Hands, Courtesy of the Federal Reserve’
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Finance Professor Murray Sabrin to the newsmaker line to give his take on the 2023 economic forecast.
Read the full storyBig Banks Predict Significant Economic Downturn in 2023: POLL
Of the 23 major financial institutions that work directly with the Federal Reserve, 16 anticipate a recession within the next 12 months, with two anticipating one the year after, according to a survey published by The Wall Street Journal Monday.
These institutions, which range from Bank of America to UBS, note that Americans are spending their savings, banks are heightening lending standards and the housing market is in a decline, all classic warning signs that a recession is impending, the WSJ reported. All of this is being exacerbated, the banks say, by the Fed’s historically aggressive pace of interest rate hikes, designed to blunt stubbornly persistent inflation.
Read the full storyAmid Soaring Food Prices, Americans Hope for Relief
Food prices soared in 2022, and so far there are few solutions on the horizon for 2023.
The latest Consumer Price Index Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that grocery prices increased 12% in the previous 12 months, far higher than the already elevated inflation rate.
Read the full storyVenezuela, Cuba, and Argentina Have the Highest Inflation in Latin America
Venezuela, Cuba and Argentina registered the highest inflation in 2022 compared to other Latin American countries, according to figures from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and BCC reports .
The report covers the period between October 2021 and October 2022, where the highest growth of the index is led by the Caribbean country, which accumulates an increase in inflation of 146%, exceeding that of Argentina by more than 50 percentage points (87 8%), the second on the list, and Cuba, which ranked third with 34.2%.
Read the full storyVirginia Minimum Wage Set to Increase on January 1
Virginia’s minimum wage is set to increase from $11 to $12 per hour Jan. 1, a rise that comes after an attempt by Republican lawmakers to halt the minimum wage increase failed earlier this year.
The increase comes as a result of 2020 law that outlined incremental wage increases starting in 2021. The law specified that employers must pay $12 an hour starting Jan. 1 and paves the way for $15 an hour in future years, but that’s dependent on future action by the General Assembly.
Read the full storyInflation Rose Slightly in November, Data Shows
Newly released federal inflation data shows that inflation rose slightly in November.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis released its Personal Consumption Expenditure Index Friday, a key inflation marker, which showed a 0.1% increase in November, contributing to a 5.5% increase from the same time last year.
Read the full storyCommentary: Inflation Takes a Bite Out of Christmas Cheer
Americans may want to light the fireplace more often this winter and cut back on the holiday festivities, according to new data from the Energy Information Administration and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Energy costs have remained consistently high for over a year, having risen over 13% since November 2021. So, American families can expect to pay significantly more for their heating oil as the colder months approach. As of the week of Dec. 12, the average cost for residential heating oil hit $4.56 per gallon, which is about 95% higher than it was the week of Dec. 14, 2020, shortly before President Joe Biden took office.
Read the full storySen. Ron Johnson Argues to Eliminate $9.8 Billion in Earmarks From $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Bill
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R) joined with his colleagues Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Rand Paul (R-KY) to oppose the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill and argue for an amendment that would eliminate all earmarks.
“Thousands of individual projects here, both Democrat and Republican,” Johnson said Tuesday during a press conference
Read the full storyBlackburn Releases New Video on the Economy, Discusses What Has Kept Tennessee Growing as Nation Struggles
Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn is preparing to release a video via social media discussing the state’s economy and spoke with The Tennessee Star this week to discuss both the pressures it endures as well as its bright spots compared with other regions.
In the one-minute spot, which shows the senator touring a Clarksville-area manufacturing plant, she discusses the challenge ongoing inflation poses to producers as they attempt to provide affordable goods to Tennesseans.
Read the full storyInflation Remains Large Concern for Business Owners in Tennessee
A new nationwide small business survey showed that 32% of small business owners believe that inflation is the single-most important issue their business is facing.
The survey, from the National Federation of Independent Business, also showed that 44% of all owners reported job openings they could not fill.
Read the full storySmall Businesses Report Hardship Due to Inflation This Christmas Season
Small businesses around the country still see inflation as a top concern this Christmas season.
Goldman Sachs released survey data that found that 52% of surveyed small business owners say that their profitability “has not met expectations. Even while an overwhelming 79% have increased prices compared to last year.”
Read the full storyFederal Reserve Raises Rates by Half Percentage Point, Signaling Slowing of Rate Hikes
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced a reduced but still notable hike in U.S. interest rates, with the central bank moving to hike rates by half a percentage point as part of its ongoing efforts to tamp down inflation.
The hike, which comprises 50 basis points, is less than the three-quarter-point hikes the bank has enacted every month for the last several months, though it still represents a significant raise at a time when the economy remains fragile after years of turmoil and unertainty.
Read the full storyPhoenix Area Has Nation’s Highest Inflation
The Phoenix metropolitan area has the highest annual inflation rate in the nation.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the November consumer price index data on Tuesday, showing the rest of the nation that didn’t receive data in the first batch of cities that included Phoenix.
Read the full storyFederal Inflation Data: Grocery Prices Continue to Rise Nationally
While overall inflation has slowed from its rapid pace earlier this year, grocery prices continue to rise, putting Americans in a pinch, according to newly released federal inflation data.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the monthly Consumer Price Index report, which showed prices rose 0.1% in November, less than experts predicted, contributing to a 7.1% increase in the past 12 months.
Read the full storyAverage American Family Has Effectively Lost $7,100 Under Biden, Economist Says
An economist says the average American family has effectively lost more than $7,000 due to inflation and higher interest rates since President Joe Biden took office.
The consumer price index, a key inflation measure, increased 0.1% in November, up 7.1% from November 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. The figure marks a slowdown in rampant inflation, but not a reversal of the trend that has caused prices for everyday goods like food and gas to ratchet up in recent months.
Read the full storyWhite House to Go on Offensive Against GOP as Gas Prices Drop
The average price for a gallon of gas has fallen below what it was one year ago, and the White House is preparing to go on the offense politically as consumers see more money in their pockets ahead of the holidays. The administration argument? Thank President Biden.
Read the full storyCommentary: Biden Admin Blames the American People for its Own Ludicrous Spending
Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen blamed the American people for the 40-year high inflation we have been enduring.
Appearing on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” she said that Americans “were in their homes for a year or more, they wanted to buy grills and office furniture, they were working from home, they suddenly started splurging on goods, buying technology.” According to her, this consumer “splurging” caused prices to rise so much.
Read the full storyKey Inflation Metric Shows High Prices Aren’t Going Anywhere
Wholesale prices beat expectations in November, a sign that inflation might not fall as quickly or steeply as previously hoped, according to CNBC.
Producers and businesses saw prices rise 0.3% from October, with so-called “core prices” rising 0.4% when the more volatile food and energy sectors were discounted, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). With both measures expected to rise by just 0.2%, as well as a 3.3% increase in food costs offsetting a 3.3% decline in energy costs, producers prices are still set to remain well above pre-pandemic levels, even though they have fallen from the 11.7% year-over-year surge seen in March, CNBC reported.
Read the full storyArizona State Senate President-Elect Reveals Plan to Help Arizonans Struggling with Rising Prices
State Senate President-elect Warren Petersen announced Tuesday his plan for helping Arizonans struggling with raising prices catch a break.
“Government has done extremely well over the last few years by adding a record amount of revenue. Unfortunately, hardworking taxpayers are reeling during this period of runaway inflation and are having a tough time paying for the most basic necessities,” said Petersen.
Read the full storyInflation Slows, but Americans Still Feel It
Inflation has slowed from its rapid growth in the past two years, but surveys show Americans are still feeling the pain from the jump in prices.
Gallup released new polling data Tuesday showing that 55% of those surveyed say inflation is causing financial hardship for their household. Notably, 13% of Americans say inflation has caused their families “severe hardship.”
Read the full storySpecial Report: Latino Youth Vote Comes into Focus after Democrats Sweep Gen Z
by Gelet Martínez Fragela As Republicans continue to grapple with a devastating loss among young adults from the 2022 midterm elections, some statistics suggest the GOP has an opportunity to pick up some traction with the Latino youth vote as their concerns could grow with age about crime, inflation and civil liberties. One million young Hispanic Americans are expected to turn 18 every year for the next 15 years, according to the Pew Research Center, making Hispanic American youth a key target demographic for both parties as a million new eligible voters will be borne from the group each year for the next decade and a half. Numbers don’t lie: Democrats conquered the youth vote in 2022 Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life, one of the most dogged trackers of young voters, reported last month that 27% of 18-to-29 voters cast ballots in midterm elections, and that 63% of them voted Democratic in House elections. “Democrats would have gotten crushed without young voter support,” reported CNN’s Harry Enten in a Nov. 12 analysis. “Democratic House candidates won voters under the age of 45 by 13 points, while losing voters ages 45 and older by 10 points. Breaking it down further, House Democratic candidates…
Read the full storyCommentary: Don’t Give an Inch on the Debt Ceiling
The dust has barely settled from the contentious midterms, and the battle lines are already being drawn for the next legislative fight in Washington: the debt ceiling. With the nation at unprecedented levels of indebtedness, the choice in this fight is a stark one: a path toward stability or fiscal Armageddon.
If that sounds hyperbolic, consider the following facts about America’s finances.
Read the full storyInflation Rose Slightly in October
Inflation rose slightly in October, newly released federal data show.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis released the Personal Consumption Expenditure index, a key inflation marker, which showed the index rose 0.3% in October.
Read the full storyCommentary: A Blueprint for Tackling America’s Crippling National Debt
Our debt is too large. Inflation is too high. We rarely pass a budget anymore — this year neither Budget Committee even bothered to come up with one. This is how great nations become weakened nations, and with all the threats on the world stage, it is urgent we make a change now.
What we need is a budget that changes our fiscal trajectory away from one where the debt is growing faster than the economy, to one where it is stabilized and then gradually brought down.
Read the full storyTennessee Gas Prices Continue to Be Least Expensive in the Nation as Overall Averages Decrease
The average gas price in Tennessee continues to be lower than the national average, according to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Read the full storyCommentary: Don’t Be Fooled by October’s Decrease in the Rate of Inflation
October’s Consumer Price Index, the measure of the national rate of inflation, was at 7.7 percent in October, compared to a reading of 8.2 percent in September. The report propelled “U.S. stocks forward [at the open] and sent Treasury yields tumbling as Wall Street weighed the implication of softer prints on Federal Reserve policy.”
The decline in the rate of inflation was driven by declining annual prices of “necessities” such as smartphones (-22.9 percent), admission to sporting events (-17.7 percent), televisions (-16.5 percent), and women’s outerwear (-1.4 percent), all items that are discretionary purchases.
Read the full storyFarm Bureau Survey Finds Thanksgiving to Be the Most Expensive Yet as Cost Rises 20 Percent
Thanksgiving dinner will cost 20% more this year compared to last year, according to a Farm Bureau survey published Wednesday, with the market signaling record-high prices for the second year in a row.
The average cost to feed 10 people for Thanksgiving will be $64.05, or under $6.50 per person, the Farm Bureau said. This is a $10.74 or 20% cost increase from 2021’s average of $53.31, which was also a record high at the time, according to historical data.
Read the full storyAmidst Rising Debt and Job Layoffs, Wall Street Guru Liz Peek Sees Mild Recession on the Horizon
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Wall Street guru Liz Peek to the newsmaker line to breakdown the economy, consumer confidence, federal spending, rising debt, job layoffs, and political gridlock.
Read the full storyCrom’s Crommentary: The Sporadic Messaging and Consistent Motive of Democrats
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio for another edition of Crom’s Crommentary.
Read the full storyInflation Has Cost Average Americans Thousands of Dollars, Economist Says
An economist says the average American family has lost upward of $7,000 due to inflation.
The consumer price index increased 0.4% in October, up 7.7% from Oct. 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday.
Read the full storyAmidst Red Fizzle, Clint Brewer Questions Why Republicans Did Not Utilize Americans’ Concerns
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed recovering journalist Clint Brewer in the studio to discuss the disappointing Republican midterms and questioned why American concerns were not addressed by candidates.
Read the full storyOhio Democratic Senatorial Candidate Changes Stance on Confronting Inflation
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) has shown support for regulations that would prevent inflation while simultaneously favoring larger spending bills.
This year Ryan voted against preventing regulations that would cause inflation and a gas tax hike.
However, in late 2021 he favored a larger spending bill (“Build Back Better”) over a slimmed-down plan favored by moderate Democratic senators. Ryan said that Democrats should not minimize the extent of inflation but rather emphasize “Build Back Better” as a way to address it.
Read the full storyPoll: 73 Percent of Virginia Small Businesses Want Republican-Run Congress
Nearly three-quarters of small business owners in Virginia hope Republicans will come out on top, according to a poll conducted by the small business network Alignable.
According to the poll, 73 percent of small business owners hope Republicans will control both chambers of Congress. Less than one-fifth of business owners, about 18 percent want to see Democrats control both chambers. Another 4 percent are hoping for split control of Congress and about 6 percent chose none of the above.
Read the full story69 Percent of Minnesota Small Business Owners Want Republicans to Sweep Congress
Nearly 70% of Minnesota small business owners said in a survey that it’s best for business if Republicans control Congress.
Between Oct. 1 and Nov. 2, Alignable asked 4,795 randomly selected U.S.-based business owners “What outcome to the November midterm elections would benefit your business the most?”
Alignable Head of Research, Corporate Communications and News Chuck Casto told The Center Square Thursday that the national survey included 367 Minnesota businesses.
Read the full storyCommentary: Even Corporate Media Is Calling Out Biden’s Absurd Economic Fairytales
With only days left until the midterm elections, the advertising blitz from the political spin doctors has reached a fever pitch and the sound bites we’re hearing aren’t very sound, especially the ones from the White House on the economy. But heated rhetoric is hardly a replacement for facts and figures so, to borrow a phrase from the show Dragnet, let’s discuss “just the facts, ma’am.”
Read the full storySen. Blackburn Hammers Biden on Economy Days Ahead of Election
A U.S. senator from Tennessee is hammering President Joe Biden and the Democrat Party on the economy – particularly skyrocketing inflation – ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn has been focused on the topic all week.
Read the full storyRichard Blumenthal Runs from Grading the Economy in Debate with Leora Levy, Says It’s ‘Ongoing,’ Can’t Give It a Grade ‘Midstream’
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sidestepped giving the economy a letter grade during his only debate with Connecticut Republican Senate candidate Leora Levy Tuesday night, but when pressed to do so by the panelist, he responded the grade is “ongoing,” and “I don’t think that we can give it a grade midstream.”
Levy, however, plainly answered, “I would grade the economy ‘F.’”
Read the full storyGeorgia Department of Transportation Awarded $91.4 Million in Projects for September
The Georgia Department of Transportation awarded more than $91.4 million for 22 projects in September, officials said.
Nearly half (47.8%) went to bridge projects, while about a third (31.8%) went to resurfacing projects. An additional 19.2% went to safety projects, while 1.1% went to widening and reconstruction projects.
Read the full storyThe Federal Reserve Hikes Rates Again as Inflation Rages on
The Federal Reserve announced an interest rate hike of 0.75 percentage points, bumping the range of the federal interest rate to between 3.75% and 4% following a Wednesday meeting of Fed policymakers.
Read the full story