Seeing Alpha (November 10)
“CPI came in red-hot again, up 0.9% month-over-month and 6.2% year-over-year, showing broad-based increases. The biggest contributors to price gains were energy, rent, food, and used cars and trucks.” As a result, “real average hourly earnings for American workers are down 1.2% year-over-year. Not exactly what we’re hoping to see.”
USA Today (May 14)
“From cars to groceries, prices are skyrocketing.” From March to April, the “eyepopping prices” have included “used car prices climbed 10%; airline fares, 10.2%; hotel rates, 7.6%; car rental prices, 16.2%; admission to sporting events, 10.1%; household furnishings, nearly a percentage point; and car insurance, 2.5%.” It remains unclear whether this is “just a recovery blip, or a return of 1970s-like inflation.”
Tags: 1970s, Airline fares, Car rental, Cars, Eyepopping, Furnishings, Groceries, Hotel rates, Prices, Recovery blip, Skyrocketing, Sporting events, Used cars
Wall Street Journal (February 13)
“In 2013, the consumer item with the fastest sales growth was private jets. Last year: used cars and trucks.” As steady growth continues, the U.S. recovery “is now beginning to benefit the average consumer more than the few at the top of the income curve.”
Tags: Consumer, Income, Private jets, Recovery, Sales growth, Trucks, U.S., Used cars