Commentary  “Recession fatigue” is setting in as consumers struggle under rising interest rates, high inflation, and a declining stock market. Such was the point made in a recent CNBC article: “As the Federal Reserve aggressively raises rates to combat persistent inflation, the tough stance could come at a price. Already, falling stock markets have wiped out more than $9…

LONDON/TOKYO—Global factory output mostly weakened in September as slowing demand added to the pain from persistent cost pressures and tighter monetary policy, surveys showed on Monday, diminishing economic recovery prospects. The data clouds the outlook for a sustained recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and could add to concerns of a global slowdown as major central…

Commentary August headline inflation printed at double the market expectation (+0.1 percent predicted vs. -0.1 actual), or 8.3 percent for the 12 months through August, unadjusted. On Sept. 13, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down more than 1,270 points, or nearly 4 percent. The benchmark S&P 500 Index fell more than 4 percent and…

NEW YORK—As high inflation forces Americans to spend more on gas and bills, young and low-income consumers are starting to feel financial pressure. Generation Z consumers and those with low credit scores are falling behind on credit card and auto loan bills and accumulating credit card debt at a pace not seen since before the…

Commentary Could a small reprieve from inflation be on the horizon? Sagging consumer confidence and excess inventory could very much push the prices of some goods lower, with retail giants warning that their profit margins will be cut heading into the important fall shopping season. The Conference Board, which measures the temperature of the U.S….

TOKYO—Japan’s household spending fell faster than expected in April as the yen’s sharp decline and surging commodity prices pushed up retail costs, hitting consumer confidence and heightening pressures on the battered economy. Spending improved from the previous month as households showed increasing appetite for services such as eating out, but the month-on-month rise was smaller…

The halving of Australia’s fuel excise as part of last month’s Budget will save consumers 22 cents per litre at the bowser for the next six months, but the simultaneous scrapping of the 18 cents per litre fuel tax rebate on diesel is seriously impacting the trucking industry, with potential knock-on effects for consumers. With…

U.S. consumers boosted their expectations for inflation and household spending in the year ahead as the price of gas and food steepens, but tempered their view of inflation over the medium-term, according to a survey released on Monday by the New York Federal Reserve. Expectations for where inflation will be in one year rose to…

WINNIPEG, Manitoba—Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one of the world’s breadbasket nations, has driven wheat prices to 14-year highs, forcing bread consumers to eat the cost. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion has severely hampered trade from Black Sea ports, driving up global Chicago benchmark wheat prices by 40 percent and further pushing global food inflation that was…

Consumers in the United States lost more than $5.8 billion to fraud last year, an increase of more than 70 percent over the previous year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said Tuesday. More than 2.8 million consumers filed fraud reports with the FTC in 2021, an increase of $2.4 billion over 2020, with the most commonly reported complaint regarding imposter scams, followed by…