TOKYO—Japan’s core consumer inflation quickened to 2.8 percent in August, hitting its fastest annual pace in nearly eight years and exceeding the central bank’s 2 percent target for a fifth straight month as price pressure from raw materials and yen weakness broadened. The strength of August inflation reinforced growing suspicions among economists that price pressure…

BERLIN—German consumer morale is projected to inch up in June after falling to a record low in May, but high inflation and the war in Ukraine continue to weigh on household spending, a survey showed on Wednesday. The GfK institute said its consumer sentiment index, based on a survey of around 2,000 Germans, rose slightly…

WASHINGTON—U.S. retail sales increased solidly in March, boosted by record-high gasoline prices, but consumers are starting to feel the pinch of high inflation, with online spending posting back-to-back declines for the first time in more than a year. The report from the Commerce Department on Thursday, which also showed stronger retail sales growth in February…

U.S. consumer credit and debit card spending so far in 2022 is up 15 percent on a year earlier, Bank of America research showed on Wednesday, a sign that Americans’ gloom about the economy owing to high inflation has yet to translate into lower demand. In fact, lower-income households—often described as the most vulnerable to…

Britain’s Deliveroo said on Tuesday that consumer spending could slow for the remainder of the year after the food delivery firm reported higher order values for the first quarter. The warning comes as Europeans face a cost-of-living squeeze due to higher energy bills and soaring inflation, exacerbated by the Russia–Ukraine crisis. The quarterly 12 percent…

Pennsylvania Senate President pro tempore Jake Corman on March 21 introduced a bill that would slash the state’s gas tax—the nation’s highest at 59 cents per gallon—by one-third, making Pennsylvania the 21st state with proposed legislation or pending executive actions attempting to offer consumers relief at the pump. Senate Bill 10, “The Consumer Gas Prices…

TOKYO—Japan’s core consumer inflation likely slowed in January from the previous month, a Reuters poll showed, reinforcing expectations the country’s central bank will lag well behind other economies in raising interest rates. Separate data is also expected to show Japan likely ran the biggest trade deficit in eight years in January as persistent rises in…

TOKYO—Consumer inflation in Tokyo will likely post slightly slower year-on-year growth in January, a Reuters poll showed, after the suspension of a government discount travel campaign in late 2020 led to a less favorable situation for price rises. Still, core consumer prices in the capital city—widely considered a leading indicator of nationwide price trends—likely stayed…

BuzzFeed Inc. hired Melanie Summers, previously a chief brand officer of content licensing company Driver Studios, to the role of SVP of consumer products effective Jan. 10, AdWeek reports. Summers will lead global brand licensing and product development efforts at BuzzFeed, which officially includes Complex Networks. Recently, CEO Jonah Peretti named Christian Baesler as COO, in…

Over the past year, I’ve discovered the simple art of baking bread. The process of making freshly baked rosemary bread that’s been rising all day long, then topped with a dollop of butter and enjoyed around the dinner table has allowed me to see how life-giving it can be. I’ve learned the basic skills needed…