Casey Harper, The Center Square – Newly compiled data from the Federal Reserve shows that inflation is hurting businesses, costing consumers, and likely not going away anytime soon.
The Federal Reserve released its “Beige Book,” a report that compiles reports from “Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources” from the 12 Federal districts around the country.
According to the latest report, those contacts agreed that inflation would continue for months.
“Inflationary pressures remained strong since the last report, with firms continuing to pass swiftly rising input costs through to customers,” the report said. “Contacts across Districts, particularly those in manufacturing, noted steep increases in raw materials, transportation, and labor costs.
The increased cost of fuel has been a major factor as well. Crude oil surpassed $103 per barrel Thursday, and according to AAA, gas prices are at a national average of $4.12 per gallon, a significant increase from an average of $2.88 at the same time last year.
“A few reports noted that input suppliers were making use of more flexible contract terms or only honoring price quotes for 24 hours, the report said. “Strong demand generally allowed firms to pass through input cost increases to customers, for example, via fuel surcharges for freight and airline fares. However, contacts in a few Districts noted negative sales impacts from rising prices. Firms in most Districts expected inflationary pressures to continue over the coming months.”
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