June Inflation Highest Since February, CPI +2.7%

[ua_guy]

Be careful what you wish for.
If a whole bunch of $$ suddenly is given to businesses and taxpayers it might just make the economy steamroll right ahead of the mid terms.

Not a chance. I honestly don't expect to see a penny refunded for a few years, it will likely be tied up in the courts that long. But I do want my money back.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Help me to understand how the economy is bad. Let's take new car prices specifically which is very high on average is $40,000. I think it all started with COVID. Prior to COVID a new car could be bought for $25,000 - $30,000. It would be wishful thinking to have price revert back to that level.

[disneysteve]

Help me to understand how the economy is bad.

Where would you like to start?

Inflation is persistently high. Costs of food, utilities, medication, and housing, among other things, continue to rise.
Consumer loan debt is rising as are delinquencies as people struggle more and more to make ends meet.
2025 saw the highest number of job cuts since the pandemic in 2020.
2025 saw a year-long decrease in US manufacturing activity, although there was some rebound in January 2026 but too soon to say if that represents a lasting turnaround.
Taxes rose on all but the richest Americans over the past year.
Millions of Americans have lost healthcare coverage due to cuts to the programs. Millions more (like me) who still have coverage are paying significantly more for it, sometimes double or triple or more.
Millions of Americans have lost or gotten reduced food stamps due to cuts to the programs.
Home prices remain largely unaffordable due to a severe housing shortage and high interest rates.

There is what is known as a K-shaped economy where the richest 10-20% are seeing improvement but the other 80-90% are losing ground.
Most if not all of us here on this site are in the group that is benefiting so it's easy to lose sight of what the vast majority of people are experiencing.
Sure, the DOW topped 50,000. Whoopie! But the top 10% of households own 90% of stocks. About 40% own none at all. That means 50% of households collectively own only about 10% of stocks. So most people aren't seeing much if any benefit from a rising stock market. Wall Street isn't Main Street, as I've noted before.

[disneysteve]

Help me to understand how the economy is bad. Let's take new car prices specifically which is very high on average is $40,000. I think it all started with COVID. Prior to COVID a new car could be bought for $25,000 - $30,000.

That's a perfect example. If something that was 30K 5 years ago is now 40K but your income hasn't risen proportionally and all other expenses are higher and you're paying more in taxes, it makes buying that car much more difficult. So your example really highlights one of the issues.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Housing is the best example of being unattainable especially here in California at about $1 million for a house. I gave up on buying a house here in Los Angeles. My only hope is buying some where out in the desert a ran sacked delapidated house in San Bernadino or El Centro near the Mexico border but even then I'll be looking at $500,000.

[ua_guy]

Where would you like to start?

Inflation is persistently high. Costs of food, utilities, medication, and housing, among other things, continue to rise.
Consumer loan debt is rising as are delinquencies as people struggle more and more to make ends meet.
2025 saw the highest number of job cuts since the pandemic in 2020.
2025 saw a year-long decrease in US manufacturing activity, although there was some rebound in January 2026 but too soon to say if that represents a lasting turnaround.
Taxes rose on all but the richest Americans over the past year.
Millions of Americans have lost healthcare coverage due to cuts to the programs. Millions more (like me) who still have coverage are paying significantly more for it, sometimes double or triple or more.
Millions of Americans have lost or gotten reduced food stamps due to cuts to the programs.
Home prices remain largely unaffordable due to a severe housing shortage and high interest rates.

There is what is known as a K-shaped economy where the richest 10-20% are seeing improvement but the other 80-90% are losing ground.
Most if not all of us here on this site are in the group that is benefiting so it's easy to lose sight of what the vast majority of people are experiencing.
Sure, the DOW topped 50,000. Whoopie! But the top 10% of households own 90% of stocks. About 40% own none at all. That means 50% of households collectively own only about 10% of stocks. So most people aren't seeing much if any benefit from a rising stock market. Wall Street isn't Main Street, as I've noted before.

I don't know how anyone can consider the facts above and not acknowledge that the economy isn't benefiting most people if things continue trending as they have.

I'm thrilled that my retirement account is up and that gas is marginally cheaper. Great! I'm also worrying significantly more about my employment security, national security, unpredictable healthcare costs, having health insurance at all, or what happens when the majority of people who earn less and have net worths significantly less than people on here, are left behind in the K divergence.

[disneysteve]

I don't know how anyone can consider the facts above and not acknowledge that the economy isn't benefiting most people if things continue trending as they have.

When you don't see it in your own life, it's far too easy to ignore. Too many people don't concern themselves with issues until they are personally impacted. And since discussing financial topics is such a taboo in our society, we may have no clue even when those close to us are struggling.

[Fishindude77]

Here we go again.
Politically driven doom and gloom regarding the economy when things are churning along quite nicely.

No shortage of good paying jobs in this neck of the woods for anyone that can p#ss clean and show up to work every day.
Employers are starving for decent, reliable help.

[ua_guy]

Here we go again.
Politically driven doom and gloom regarding the economy when things are churning along quite nicely.

No shortage of good paying jobs in this neck of the woods for anyone that can p#ss clean and show up to work every day.
Employers are starving for decent, reliable help.

Hmm...I fail to see how declines in historical key performance indicators of the economy are somehow "political gloom and doom". But, you do you. Actually that sounds more politically biased, pretending there aren't issues.

If those employers are offering such great jobs, they should have no problem filling them. Right?

[disneysteve]

Here we go again.
Politically driven doom and gloom regarding the economy when things are churning along quite nicely.

Are you referring to my post? If so, please point out what I said that is "politically driven"? Everything I said is factual.

[ua_guy]

January PPI came in higher than expected, 2.9%, it was expected to be 2.6. Core PPI rose to 3.6. Expectation was 3.0%

We're going the wrong direction.

[QuarterMillionMan]

WTI oil price up $4 today from $67 to $71 probably from the situation in Iran who among other things took out Saudi's Aramco oil producing facility.

[ua_guy]

Probably? It is the illegal war waged against Iran. That's what made oil jump (almost 10% as of this morning). This won't be helpful for reeling in inflation or anything else. What could possibly go wrong by bringing further chaos and destabilization to the Middle East?

[myrdale]

It is the illegal war waged against Iran. That's what made oil jump (almost 10% as of this morning).

Here we go again.
Politically driven doom and gloom regarding the economy when things are churning along quite nicely.

First off, we are not at war. War can only be declared by Congress. This was a strategic strike.

Trump didn't just wake up and tell a couple of guys on a whelm to jump in their planes and bomb Iran. This was the joint efforts of the United States CIA and Israel's Mossad. In the first 30 seconds of this strategic strike Supreme Leader Khamenei and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (maybe do an AI search on his quotes and see how you feel) were removed from existence.

Our allies were debriefed before hand. Great Britain said we could not launch from their bases. France said we could not fly through their air space. Nothing about this is illegal. Let's make sure we come back to this thread in 6 months and then again in 4 years to confirm the Commander In Chief who headed this operation up hasn't been prosecuted for his actions.

[ua_guy]

Here we go again.
Politically driven doom and gloom regarding the economy when things are churning along quite nicely.

First off, we are not at war. War can only be declared by Congress. This was a strategic strike.

Trump didn't just wake up and tell a couple of guys on a whelm to jump in their planes and bomb Iran. This was the joint efforts of the United States CIA and Israel's Mossad. In the first 30 seconds of this strategic strike Supreme Leader Khamenei and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (maybe do an AI search on his quotes and see how you feel) were removed from existence.

Our allies were debriefed before hand. Great Britain said we could not launch from their bases. France said we could not fly through their air space. Nothing about this is illegal. Let's make sure we come back to this thread in 6 months and then again in 4 years to confirm the Commander In Chief who headed this operation up hasn't been prosecuted for his actions.

Strikes have to be authorized by congress else for a president to declare a strike, they have to have existing permission given by law (such as an act). At least here in my country. Also, things can be illegal but not fully prosecuted or brought to justice based on power imbalances in Congress and the justice system.

Regardless, adding to prices we pay as consumers, like the price of oil and gas, and adding market and trade instability, are the wrong things to be doing right now. That's reflected in polls, it's all very unpopular with an electorate which placed the economy and staying out of wars at the forefront of their worries.