U.S. economy grew at 3.1% pace in third quarter
GDP growth has now topped 2% in eight of the last nine quarters.
GDP growth has now topped 2% in eight of the last nine quarters.
New quarterly projections suggest that consumers may not enjoy much lower rates next year for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and other forms of borrowing.
Americans hoping for lower borrowing costs for homes, credit cards and cars may be disappointed after this week’s Federal Reserve meeting.
Measured from 12 months earlier, wholesale prices climbed 3% in November, the sharpest year-over-year rise since February 2023.
Fueled by pricier used cars, hotel rooms and groceries, inflation in the United States moved slightly higher last month.
Consumer prices rose 2.3% in October from a year earlier. That’s up from 2.1% in September, although it’s still only modestly above the Fed’s 2% target.
Even if inflation continued declining to the Fed’s 2% target, officials said, “it would likely be appropriate to move gradually” in lowering rates, according to minutes of the November 6-7 meeting.
The U.S. economy is strong and should continue to grow next year, Fifth Third Bank Chief Investment Strategist Tom Jalics said at IBJ’s 2025 Economic Forecast breakfast Thursday.
One cautionary note is that grocery-store sales barely rose last month, a sign that many Americans might still be struggling to adapt to food prices that are still much higher than they were three years ago.
After Powell’s cautious remarks Thursday, traders estimated the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate cut in December at just below 59%, down from 83% a day earlier.
The bulk of October’s monthly increase was driven by a rise in shelter costs, which were up 0.4 percent last month and grew by 4.9 percent annually.
While prices for most goods have been falling throughout the year, inflation for food services and home and auto insurance remain stubbornly high.
The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of underlying U.S. inflation posted its biggest monthly gain since April, bolstering the case for a slower pace of interest-rate cuts following last month’s outsize reduction.
Excluding volatile food and energy costs, “core” prices, a gauge of underlying inflation, remained elevated in September, driven up by rising costs for medical care, clothing, auto insurance and airline fares.
The ongoing decline in inflation makes it even more likely that the Federal Reserve will cut its key benchmark rate further in the coming months.
The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than four years, reflects its new focus on bolstering the job market, which has shown clear signs of slowing.
At issue is how fast the Fed wants to lower interest rates to a point where they’re no longer acting as a brake on the economy—nor as an accelerant. Where that so-called “neutral” level falls isn’t clear.
The so-called core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy costs, increased 0.3% from July and 3.2% from a year ago, Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showed Wednesday.
The Commerce Department had previously estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product—the total output of goods and services—expanded at a 2.8% rate from April through June.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that inflation, after the worst price spike in four decades inflicted pain on millions of households, appears largely under control.