The Fed's Tough Mission
Plus: More strikes on Iran, Nayib Bukele runs for a third consecutive term, private dinosaur-bone ownership, and more...
Inflation
The Sindex: Gas Prices Rose 29% in 2 Months After Trump Went to War With Iran
The Reason Sindex tracks the price of vice: smoking, drinking, snacking, traveling, and more.
Trump Tries To Take Credit for a Walmart July 4 Grocery Sale
He understands economics about as well as he understands the limits of presidential power.
The Right Way To Fight a Trade War
Economist Soumaya Keynes discusses Trump’s tariff policies, how China changed the global economy, and why trade wars require restraint.
Reflecting Pool Debacle Is a Shorthand for Trump's Failing Second Term
The president is forcing his biggest supporters to choke down his incompetence and delusions like so much algae.
Inflation Reaches 4.2% as Prices Outpace Paychecks
The Iran war and Trump's tariffs are pushing prices higher, and neither will be easy to undo.
Trump Is the High-Prices President
Trump's signature policies are pushing prices higher—and voters are pushing back.
Why Is Trump Trying To Purge Thomas Massie?
Plus: inflation surges, Mamdani claims he closed New York City’s budget gap without cutting services, and a listener asks how to develop political confidence
The War Comes for Your Wallet: Inflation Hits 3.8%, Highest Level in 3 Years
Prices are now rising faster than wages, just like during much of the Biden years. The war in Iran is largely to blame.
Neither War nor Peace With Iran
The Trump administration is stuck in a standoff that is unstable and damaging to the entire world.
Trump Ended Free Trade for Mexican Tomatoes. Prices Are Up 23 Percent in the Last Year.
America gets 90 percent of its fresh tomatoes from Mexico, and those imports were tariff-free until last year.
Federal Reserve: Without Tariffs, Inflation Would Have Dropped to Pre-Pandemic Levels During 2025
New study finds that tariffs were responsible for the "entirety of the excess inflation in the core goods category."
Politicians Want To Fix the Economy. So Why Do They Keep Making It Worse?
"Central planning doesn't work because everybody has different ideas for themselves," says Ryan McMaken of the Mises Institute.
War Rations
Plus: Pete Hegseth spends millions on lobster tail and rib-eye steak, oil prices go for another roller-coaster ride, no inflation increase, and more...
3 Bogus Economic Stats in Trump's State of the Union
President Donald Trump tossed out a bunch of economic statistics during his State of the Union address. Here are three that are just plain wrong.
Politicians Want To Avoid Reforming Social Security and Medicare. You Will Pay the Price.
Inflation is a silent tax—and the most painful way to finance government promises.
Key Inflation Metric Hits 3 Percent, Despite Trump's Claim That Rising Prices Are 'Solved'
The new producer price index report complicates the administration's push for lower interest rates.
Iran's Inflation Protests Turned Into an Uprising. Will Trump Get Involved?
The unrest started with a merchants' strike, escalated into a bloody crackdown—and might become an American war.
Is This the End of American Capitalism?
If interest rates stop being market signals and become policy decisions, what survives may look less like capitalism—and more like permanent crisis management.
The Big Lesson of the 2020s? Don't Ignore the Economists.
From COVID-19 lockdowns to Biden's inflation and Trump's tariffs, bad things have happened when economics are sidelined in policymaking.
How Tariffs and Inflation Are Hitting Holiday Sweets
The Trump administration’s trade war has made home-baked and store-bought treats more expensive.
Hottest Country
Plus: Karoline Leavitt's injection sites, Dan Bongino leaves FBI, Tesla trapped, and more...
Can't Buy Our Love
Plus: Child care affordability, Venezuela blockade, Israel's plans, and more...
17 Ways Politicians Can Make Things Cheaper, Starting With Food, Health Care, and Appliances
A real affordability agenda would unleash free markets, not constrain them.
A Divided Fed
Plus: Cocaine and mustard gas, U.S. seizes oil tanker, billionaires in the White House, and more...
The Poverty Line Isn't a Vibe
A more robust welfare state won't change the fact that tradeoffs exist, even for relatively wealthy Americans who choose to have kids.
Thankfully, We Don't Have To Spend As Much of Our Incomes on Food As Our Ancestors Did
The portion that Americans spend on food has fallen steeply over the last century.
The Sindex: Price of Audio Equipment Rises 12 Percent Under Trump Tariffs
The Reason Sindex tracks the price of vice: smoking, drinking, snacking, traveling, and more.
America Is in a Golden Age. Are We Headed Toward a Roman Ending?
"Once you have an ever-expanding system of entitlements that you can't afford, that's often the beginning of the decline and fall," says historian Johan Norberg.
A 50-Year Mortgage Won't Make Homes Affordable
Ultra-long mortgages create the illusion of affordability but lock borrowers into decades of extra interest because leaders won’t fix the supply crunch.
You Can Still Trust the BLS—for Now
The accuracy and reliability of BLS data on inflation and jobs will depend on what the Trump administration does with it.
The Trump Administration Finally Admits That Tariffs Raise Prices
If lowering tariffs makes things cheaper, why stop at coffee?
Democrats Are Beating Trump on Affordability. Will He Keep Pretending Otherwise?
Neither side, however, has a good plan to bring down prices.
Trump Seems Very Confused About 'Affordability'
The president says the affordability crisis is over, but he's also promising huge government checks. And he doesn't know how much gas costs.
Socialism Didn't Work In Argentina. It Won't Work For America Either.
To understand this week's election, look to economic and political lessons from Argentina.
Study Finds Tariffs Cost Consumers More Than the Government Takes In
The new report examined prices of French wine after Trump imposed tariffs in 2019.
Milei's Moment of Truth
Plus: An update on the boat strikes, East Wing gets torn down, Cuomo tries to convince Republicans, and more...
Trump Is Filling the Fed with Loyalists
By installing Stephen Miran and eyeing more allies, Trump is positioning the central bank for aggressive rate cuts and a sharp break from its tradition of independence.
Trump's Tariffs Have Already Hurt the Economy—and the Pain Is Only Beginning
The OECD just published its projections for American growth, and they're grim.
The Federal Reserve Cuts Rates With Inflation Still Hot. Is Political Pressure Winning?
When the Federal Reserve is concerned about inflation, it increases the federal funds rate. Despite expressing such concerns, the Fed lowered it.
Americans Want Lower Costs, but Inflation Just Hit Its Highest Mark Since January
Inflation hit its highest level since January, with prices rising 0.4 percent in August.
GAO Report Finds 'Shrinkflation' Was Fake News
The Government Accountability Office says shrinkflation accounted for just 0.06 percentage points of inflation from 2019 to 2024.
Trump's Tariff Spin Is Putting Republicans in an Awkward Spot
Should they brag about raising taxes, like the White House is doing, or try to distance themselves from those same tax increases?
Soaring Wholesale Prices Mean Higher Inflation Is Coming. Are Tariffs To Blame?
New producer price index data suggests domestic companies are not eating the cost of Trump's tariffs.
Tariff Rebate Checks Are a Bad, Inflationary Idea
If Sen. Josh Hawley and the Trump administration want to spare Americans the pain from tariffs, there is a far simpler solution.
Trump's Tariffs May Soon Make Car Insurance More Expensive
Tariffs on auto parts, meant to "protect America’s automobile industry," make repairs more expensive and drive up the cost of insurance.
