Procter & Gamble, the maker of Pampers diapers, Tide detergent and Crest toothpaste, said it’s raising prices on a range of goods as higher commodity and freight costs are set to take a bite out of its profits.
The International Monetary Fund called Thursday for greater efforts from wealthy nations to boost COVID vaccination rates in poorer countries, while also urging the Federal Reserve and other central banks to respond quickly if current inflation pressures prove not to be transitory.
Applications for jobless aid, which generally track the pace of layoffs, have fallen steadily since last spring as many businesses, struggling to fill jobs, have held onto their workers.
Such a move would mark the Fed’s first step back from the extraordinary efforts it has made to stimulate the economy in the wake of the pandemic.
The unexpected burst of inflation this year reflects sharply higher prices for food and energy, but also for furniture, cars, televisions, and other largely imported goods.
The Labor Department said that quits jumped to 4.3 million in August, the highest on records dating back to December 2000, and up from 4 million in July.
U.S. employers added just 194,000 jobs in September, a second straight tepid gain and evidence that the pandemic still has a grip on the economy with many companies struggling to fill millions of open jobs.
After hitting a pandemic low of 312,000 in early September, claims had risen three straight weeks, suggesting that the highly contagious delta variant was at least temporarily disrupting a recovery in jobs.
Of the 18 service sectors surveyed, 17 reported growth in September, led by retail trade. The only one that contracted was the agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing sector.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Tuesday cited rising risks from inflation, debt and a divergence in growth prospects between nations with access to coronavirus vaccines and those in need of shots.
Investors are increasingly worried about inflation as oil prices rise and companies continue facing supply problems that increase their costs and force them to raise prices.
Americans bought more furniture, clothes, and groceries during the month, while the delta variant caused them to pull back on traveling and eating out.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday stood behind the ultra-low interest rate policies he has pursued since the pandemic decimated the economy more than 18 months ago. But he acknowledged inflation has stayed higher for longer than he expected.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that the unprecedented process of reopening the economy after the COVID shutdowns has resulted in a number of problems that could continue in coming months.
The coronavirus remains the dominant variable around how the U.S. economy will do for the rest of the year and into 2022, according to National Association of Business Economists.
The numbers are staggering: The child-care services industry is still down 126,700 workers—more than a 10 percent decline from pre-pandemic levels, Labor Department data shows.
After accounting for all the federal relief payments, the so-called supplemental poverty measure declined to 9.1% in 2020—the lowest on record and a significant decline from 11.8% in 2019.
While the upward march of prices appears to have eased last month, economists caution that the same underlying causes remain. Supply chains are still snarled, especially for critical components like computer chips, and consumer demand is easily outpacing supply.
Amazon’s starting pay is still $15 per hour, but with labor markets growing so tight in regions of the country, the company said new hires could make as much as $22.50 an hour. It’s also paying sign-on bonuses of $3,000 in some places.
Leaders of the Gates and Rockefeller Foundations are warning that the pandemic could set back global progress on education, public health and gender equality for years.
