London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

US inflation surges to highest level since 1982

US inflation surges to highest level since 1982

Fuel prices, food, housing and car prices were among the main drivers of the increase as Americans faced paying more for goods and services.

US inflation has hit a 39-year high in the latest sign of a cost of living squeeze for consumers in the world's biggest economy.

Figures from America's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed consumer price index (CPI) inflation hit 6.8% last month, the biggest year-on-year surge in prices since June 1982.

The reading, which was in line with expectations, was up from 6.2% in October.

Federal chair Jerome Powell has been taken aback by the persistence of inflation


Prices climbed across the board, with fuel prices, housing, food and cars among the bigger contributors, the report said.

An index of eating out prices showed a 5.8% increase, its highest rate since January 1982, while food eaten at home saw its sharpest year-on-year rise since December 2008.

Fuel prices were up by 58.1% on the same period in 2020 - the biggest annual rate of increase since April 1980.

Inflation has been fuelled by a combination of factors linked to the economy's rebound from the pandemic in a trend being mirrored, though at slightly more modest rates, in Europe and the UK - where it has been predicted that price growth will comfortably top 5% by the spring.

It has put pressure on the Federal Reserve to find a way to roll back more quickly multi-billion dollar stimulus programmes and ultra-low interest rate policies that cushioned the US economy through the pandemic without damaging the recovery.

High inflation also creates a headache for Joe Biden as he faces flagging public support.

Inflation creates a headache for Joe Biden as he faces flagging public support

Global supply chain shortages are among the factors putting upward pressure on prices as manufacturers struggle to meet resurgent demand while ports jam up.

Meanwhile, employers struggling with labour shortages have been raising pay.

The persistence of inflation has surprised the Fed, with the central bank's chair Jerome Powell two weeks ago abandoning his insistence that it was a "transitory" result of supply bottlenecks.

He has now signalled that the Fed - whose officials meet next week to hammer out their latest policy decision - is likely to go faster in scaling back stimulus.

But some experts see signs of pressures easing as oil and gas prices declining.

The emergence of the Omicron could have a further dampening effect if it means waning demand for shopping trips, travel and eating out.

Comments

Oh ya 4 year ago
Increase of interest rates kills the stock market and makes it harder for the USA to service their massive debt which they already have to borrow money to pay the interest and second if they do not raise it everyone suffers with this huge inflation. If you figure out inflation like the government did in 1980 today it is 15% according to Shadowstats. Not the 6 % the government is admitted to
Oh ya 4 year ago
So are you Dems still happy with mr poopy pants

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×