With inflation at a four-decade high, a growing number of forecasters worry the U.S. economy may be headed to a recession as the Fed gears up to raise interest rates aggressively.
U.S. employers added 678,000 jobs in February as the unemployment rate fell to 3.8%, from 4% in January. The Federal Reserve hopes to curb inflation without stalling job growth.
Consumer prices in January were up 7.5% from a year ago, the biggest annual gain since 1982. That may seem like a lot for those under 40, but older folks have lived through even sharper price hikes.
The Federal Reserve is preparing to raise interest rates sooner and — perhaps — more aggressively after inflation reached the highest in nearly 40 years.
The U.S. economy is lacking more than a million immigrant workers who would be here if not for the pandemic and Trump-era cuts. That may be hurting industries that depend on immigrants, like trucking.
The Federal Reserve is opening the door to possible interest rate hikes earlier next year than had been expected, as it wrestles with the highest inflation in nearly four decades.