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☆ X, formerly Twitter, faces 2,200 arbitration cases and filing fees over $3 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this photo illustration, the new Twitter logo rebranded as X (X Corp.) is seen on a smartphone and Elon Musk Twitter account with the new X logo on a pc screen. X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, is facing 2,200 arbitration cases that ex-employees filed after Elon Musk took over the company, slashed headcount, and made other sweeping changes there. The filing fees alone for that volume of cases could amount to $3.5 million. The case is Chris Woodfield v. Twitter, X Corp. and Elon Musk (No. Since JAMS decided that this basic fee applies across the board to X's 2,200 arbitration cases, that would amount to around $3.5 million, with other fees possibly to follow.

Persons: Elon Musk, Chris Woodfield, Woodfield Organizations: X Corp, Elon, Twitter, CNBC, Musk's X Corp, Northern District of Locations: Delaware, Seattle, San Francisco federal, Northern District, Northern District of California

☆ US consumer spending is expected to cool further but not fall off a cliff
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Investors and economists are bullish that consumer spending, the US economy’s main engine, won’t deteriorate too much, which should help stocks avoid a massive sell-off this year. The US Labor Department releases July figures on job openings, quits, hires and layoffs. The US Commerce Department releases July data on household spending, income and the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. The US Labor Department reports the number of new applications for jobless benefits in the week ended Aug. 26. Friday: The US Labor Department releases August figures on the labor market, including monthly payroll gains, wage growth, and the unemployment rate.

Persons: “ We’re, we’ve, ” Matthew Palazzolo, we’re, We’re, ” Palazzolo, pare, It’s, Biden, Jerome Powell, Sinead Colton Grant, Anna Cooban Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, Federal Reserve, US, Bernstein Private Wealth Management, CNN, Nvidia, Research, Fed, Kansas City, San Francisco Fed, Mellon, International Monetary Fund, Global, US Labor Department, Board, US Commerce Department, National Association of Realtors, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, P Global, Institute for Supply Management Locations: Washington, Wells Fargo, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, American, Germany, Europe, Berlin

☆ A former San Francisco tech executive was charged with embezzling more than $2.7 million from his employer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A former tech exec was charged with embezzling $2.7 million from his employer. Aubrey Jackson Shelton II was accused of using the company's payroll software to "inflate his paychecks." A federal jury charged Shelton II with tax evasion, bank fraud, and wire fraud. AdvertisementAdvertisementA former tech executive has been charged with embezzling around $2.7 million from his employer after an indictment alleged that he inflated his paychecks and hid proceeds from the IRS for more than eight years. Another California tech executive was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of four counts of defrauding investors last year.

Persons: Aubrey Jackson Shelton, Shelton, Aubrey Jackson Shelton II, Elizabeth Holmes Organizations: US, Office, Northern District of, San Locations: Northern District, Northern District of California, San Francisco, San Francisco federal, California

☆ What happens in Jackson Hole doesn’t stay in Jackson Hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Most of the year, people visit Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to ski, fly fish or simply enjoy the region’s vast natural beauty. Setting the stage: the economic backdropInflation has slowed significantly since last year’s Jackson Hole conference, alongside glimmers of a cooling labor market. A look back at past Jackson Hole conferencesLast year’s Jackson Hole conference was notable not just because it was the first time in two years that economists gathered in person. Months after Bernanke’s Jackson Hole speech, he unveiled a whole new phase of bond-purchasing in what has now become known as QE2. A columnist for the Financial Times went so far as to say that Draghi “certainly stole the show this year [at Jackson Hole].”No matter what comes out of the conference this year, it’s clear that what happens in Jackson Hole doesn’t stay in Jackson Hole.

Persons: Jackson, Jerome Powell, He’ll, Michael Cahill, Goldman Sachs, Powell, —, Ben Bernanke, ”, Cahill, “, Bernanke’s Jackson, Bernanke, Janet Yellen, “ it’s, ” Cahill, Michael Woodford, John Williams, Williams, European Central Bank Mario Draghi Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal, Kansas City Fed, Jackson, Fed, Traders, Goldman, CNN, Columbia University, ” New York Fed, San Francisco Fed, European Central Bank, ECB, Financial Times Locations: New York, , Wyoming, Woodstock, Jackson

☆ Powell's pivotal speech Friday could see a marked shift from what he's done in the past
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"I just think he's going to play it about as down the middle as possible," said Joseph LaVorgna, chief economist at SMBC Nikko Securities America. "He's got to strike that chord that the Fed is going to finish the job. "He's going to want to be a little more hawkish than neutral. But he's not going to deliver what he delivered last year. A Cleveland Fed inflation tracker anticipates August's figures will show a noticeable jump.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, Win Mcnamee, Joseph LaVorgna, circumspect, LaVorgna, Donald Trump, He's, It's, Quincy Krosby, he's, Inflation's, Krosby, Patrick Harker, you've, Harker, CNBC's Steve Liesman, Jackson Organizations: Financial, Federal, Getty, Federal Reserve, Nikko Securities America, Research, National Economic Council, LPL, Cleveland, San Francisco Fed, Philadelphia Fed Locations: Washington , DC, circumspect Powell

☆ United Airlines in $30 mln settlement with quadriplegic man's family
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 23 (Reuters) - United Airlines (UAL.O) has agreed to a $30 million settlement after a deplaning incident left a quadriplegic man in a vegetative state, court papers show. The settlement with the family of Nathaniel Foster Jr, known as N.J., was disclosed on Tuesday in San Francisco federal court, and reached after one day of trial. Now 26, Foster has "significant" brain damage, cannot speak or eat solid foods, and is expected to live to age 31-1/2, down from 39 before the incident, court papers show. "Our top priority is to provide a safe journey for all our customers, especially those who require additional assistance or the use of a wheelchair," United said in a statement Wednesday. The case is Foster et al v United Airlines Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.

Persons: Nathaniel Foster Jr, Foster, Foster's, Jonathan Stempel, Nick Zieminski Organizations: United Airlines, United Express, al, United Airlines Inc, Court, Northern District of, Thomson Locations: San Francisco federal, Monroe , Louisiana, Pleasant Hill , California, U.S, Northern District, Northern District of California, New York

He called the U.S. central bank's misreading of the issue "a major failure" that can mar analysis of where the economy stands. Since 2016, policies from the vastly different Trump and Biden administrations have combined in a sort of accidental complementarity to keep both job and economic growth above the Fed's estimate of potential. Median Fed policymaker projections of potential U.S. economic growth have slid from a level around 2.5% a decade ago to 1.8% as of June 2023, when the last projections were issued. Under pressure from colleagues to raise interest rates as the economy accelerated, Greenspan resisted and accommodated the expansion instead of fighting it. But it could help economic growth continue even as prices cool, another prop for the "soft landing" the Fed hopes to engineer and possible evidence of rising potential.

Persons: John Williams, Joe Biden, Adam Posen, Donald Trump, Trump's, Biden, Dana Peterson, Peterson, Jerome Powell, Board's Peterson, Alan Greenspan's, Greenspan, Jackson, John Fernald, Huiyu Li, Michael Feroli, Antulio Bomfim, Powell, Howard Schneider, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal Reserve, New York Fed, San Francisco, Fed, Reuters, BlackRock, Bank of England, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Trump, Biden, Conference Board, Jackson, San Francisco Fed, JPMorgan, Trust Asset Management, Thomson Locations: U.S, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, Washington

☆ Americans are exhausting their excess savings - and could run out funds this quarter, Fed study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Americans are burning through their savings and could run out funds as early as this quarter, a Fed study showed. As of June, Fed estimates show US households held less than $190 billion of aggregate excess savings. With excess savings dwindling, Americans have leaned on their credit cards for spending. Excess savings refer to the difference between actual savings and the pre-recession trend, Fed researchers said. As of June, Fed estimates show that US households held less than $190 billion of aggregate excess savings.

Persons: Hamza Abdelrahman, Luiz Oliveira, Abdelrahman, Oliveira Organizations: Service, Privacy, Federal Reserve Bank of San, San Francisco Locations: Wall, Silicon, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

Since CPI inflation tends to be faster than the PCE measures that the Fed uses to set its inflation target, that means one important area of policymaker focus may have dipped below target already. But the pace of increase pales against the double-digit gains in 2021, and the inflation rate for rental housing has also slowed. A recent study by San Francisco Fed economists, using real-time housing and rent data from companies like Zillow, projected "a sharp turnaround in shelter inflation" through late next year. Two versions of the San Francisco estimates show shelter inflation hitting 0% next year, well below the 3%-to-4% range that Meyer said could help the Fed traverse its last inflation mile more quickly. Other aspects of the economy may also be snapping into place, a possible late-arriving validation of the Fed's initial expectation that rising inflation in 2021 would prove "transitory."

Persons: Brent Meyer, Meyer, Quincy Krosby, they've, Christopher Waller, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal Reserve, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Atlanta Fed's, Fed, CPI, San Francisco Fed, LPL, Richmond Fed, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, San Francisco

☆ Stocks fall, yields rise after hotter than expected inflation reading
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Sinéad Carew | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. producer price index (PPI) for final demand rose 0.3% in July, according to the Labor Department. And in the 12 months through July, the PPI rose 0.8% against estimates for a 0.7% advance. On Thursday, Wall Street's main indexes had finished flat, giving up most early gains on milder-than-feared consumer price inflation data. In currencies, the dollar index rose 0.107%, with the euro down 0.18% to $1.0959. On the U.S. Treasuries side, yields rose after the hotter than expected PPI.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Paul Christopher, Christopher, Mary Daly, Sterling, Brent, Sinéad Carew, Elizabeth Howcroft, John Stonestreet, Susan Fenton Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Treasury, Reserve, Labor Department, PPI, Wells, Wells Fargo Investment Institute, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, Britain, International Energy Agency, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wells Fargo, St Louis, Asia, Pacific, Japan, London

Asian stocks fell to a one-month low and European indexes were in the red, with the STOXX 600 down 0.8% at 1125 GMT (.STOXX). "We’re still getting a mixed message from the inflation numbers," said Ben Laidler, global markets strategist at eToro. The pound was up 0.4% at $1.2725 , after GDP data showed Britain eked out some unexpected growth in the second quarter, helped by a strong June performance. But it remains the only large advanced economy that has not yet regained its pre-COVID late-2019 level, data showed on Friday. Investors will be watching for UK inflation data next Wednesday.

Persons: DAX, Mary Daly, We’re, Ben Laidler, eToro's Laidler, Brent, Elizabeth Howcroft, John Stonestreet, Susan Fenton Organizations: Credit Suisse, Wall, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, Investors, Nasdaq, HK, Britain, West Texas, International Energy Agency, Thomson Locations: Silicon, China, Australia, Japan

☆ Dollar set for fourth week of gains, inflation cements rate outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. The pound was last up 0.3% at $1.2711, but was still heading for a fourth weekly drop. Data on Thursday showed U.S. consumer inflation rose 0.2% last month, matching the gain in June, and by 3.2% in the 12 months through July. The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six others, fell 0.1% to 102.50, but was still set for a fourth weekly gain, thanks in part to a rise in Treasury yields. The dollar fell against the euro , which rose 0.1% to $1.0995 and against the Australian dollar , which rose 0.14% to $0652.

Persons: Florence Lo, Moh Siong Sim, Nick Rees, Mary Daly, Ankur Banerjee, Shri Navaratnam, Simon Cameron, Moore, David Evans Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Federal, Bank of Japan, Singapore, Ministry of Finance, Reuters, CPI, FX, Monex, San Francisco Fed, Thomson Locations: Japan, Monex Europe, U.S, Singapore

☆ Asia stocks drop to month low as US CPI fails to enthuse
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The yen touched a six-week low of 144.89 per dollar in early trade, though volumes were thinned owing to a public holiday in Japan. Its stock markets were closed and Treasuries went untraded in the Asia session. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.7% with stocks in Hong Kong and China the biggest drag. Headline U.S. CPI was 0.2% last month, the same as a month earlier, and the details were encouraging - with core goods inflation slowing down and only rents proving stubbornly sticky. DOLLAR GAINSIn foreign exchange markets, choppy trade in the wake of the inflation data left the dollar on course for a weekly gain.

Persons: Issei Kato, Treasuries, Mary Daly, Andrew Lilley, Philip Lowe, Nozomu Ogawa, Sally Auld, JB, There's, HSI, Tom Westbrook, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: REUTERS, SYDNEY, Headline U.S, CPI, San Francisco Fed, Yahoo Finance, Daiwa, Markets, HK, Chevron, Brent, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, China, Sydney, New York, Australia

☆ Asia stocks slip as US CPI fails to enthuse; dollar up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Passersby are reflected on an electric stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan April 18, 2023. The yen touched a six-week low of 144.89 per dollar in early trade on Friday, though volumes were thinned owing to a public holiday in Japan. Its stock markets were closed and Treasuries went untraded in the Asia session. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) edged 0.2% lower and headed for a 1% weekly loss. In stock markets, Chinese property stocks were taking a fresh beating on giant developer Country Garden (2007.HK), which is struggling with its debts, forecasting a $7.6 billion net loss in the first half.

Persons: Issei Kato, Treasuries, Mary Daly, Andrew Lilley, Sally Auld, JB, Tom Westbrook, Muralikumar Organizations: REUTERS, U.S ., Headline U.S, CPI, San Francisco Fed, Yahoo Finance, U.S . Treasury, HK, Star Entertainment, Chevron, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Sydney, New York, Hong Kong, Alibaba, HK, New South Wales, Woodside, WDS.AX

☆ Don’t be fooled by rising consumer price data, take a peek behind the numbers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —US consumer prices rose 3.2% for the 12 months ending in July, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, which landed Thursday. “Don’t be fooled by the uptick in [year-over-year] inflation,” noted Julia Pollak, chief economist for ZipRecruiter. Gimme (cheaper) shelter: Shelter (i.e. “Our baseline forecast suggests that year-over-year shelter inflation will continue to slow through late 2024 and may even turn negative by mid-2024,” the researchers wrote. Uncooked beef steak prices rose 2.3% and uncooked ground beef rose 1.5%.

Persons: It’s, Don’t, ”, Julia Pollak, Joe Brusuelas, ” Brusuelas, —, Anna Bahney, Danielle Wiener, Bronner, That’s, Douglas Elliman, Miller Samuel, Spencer Platt, Jonathan Miller, “, Read, Biden, Michelle Toh Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, CNN, ZipRecruiter, RSM US, Federal Reserve, Commerce Department, San Francisco, Big Apple, Getty Locations: Manhattan, New York, New York City, China, Silicon

☆ Rupee to fall on bets Fed to remain restrictive despite moderating inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee will likely weaken on Friday on expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will keep interest rates high despite signs that price pressures are moderating. U.S. equities rallied, the dollar index dropped and U.S. yields declined after data showed that headline and core inflation rose less than expected. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said that while recent inflation data is moving in the right direction, more progress is needed before she would feel comfortable that the Fed has done enough. The dollar index , which dropped to 101.76 post the inflation data, was back near 102.50. Investors are cautious that while the Fed will pause in September, rates "will remain restrictive for some time", ANZ said in note.

Persons: it's, Mary Daly, Nimesh Vora, Sonia Cheema Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, U.S ., NDF, San Francisco Fed, ANZ, Brent, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Mumbai, U.S, San

☆ Wall Street ends flat, after pop from July inflation data fizzles
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( David French | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Stock prices started to sag from late-morning onwards, and bounced between positive and negative territory for much of the afternoon. He noted that while inflation has slowed, a look beyond the headline number revealed that core inflation remained sticky, and as traders parsed the data, the initial positive sentiment became more subdued. A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 26, 2023. On the earnings front, Walt Disney (DIS.N) rose 4.9% after beating Wall Street estimates for quarterly adjusted profit per share. The S&P 500 posted 18 new 52-week highs and 4 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 58 new highs and 159 new lows.

Persons: Gregg Abella, Mary Daly, Brendan McDermid, Walt Disney, Michael Kors, Tapestry's, Joe Biden, Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Johann M, David French, Shashwat Chauhan, Shubham Batra, Vinay Dwivedi, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Disney, Dow, Nasdaq, U.S . Federal, Investment Partners, Management, San Francisco Fed, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Nvidia Corp, Alphabet Inc, Microsoft, Dow Jones, Energy, Wall, Alibaba, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, Bengaluru, New York

☆ US dollar recovers from inflation-related losses; yen slumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The greenback climbed to five-week peaks against the yen of 144.735 , and last traded up 0.7% at 144.71 yen. The recovery of the dollar against both the euro and yen pushed the dollar index up 0.1% to 102.56 . Earlier in the session, the dollar dropped after data showed the consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.2% last month, matching the gain in June. Investors are also on the lookout for possible intervention by the Japan to lift the yen. In September, Japan intervened when the dollar rose above 145 yen, pushing the pair to around 140 yen as the Ministry of Finance bought the yen to weaken the dollar.

Persons: Florence Lo, Yen, Helen, It's, Francisco Federal Reserve Bank Mary Daly, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Alun John, Mark Potter, Andrea Ricci, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Monex USA, Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, Federal, Market, Fed, Labor Department, Analysts, Ministry of Finance, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, Japan, London

☆ Wall Street ends flat, gives up most gains after July inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( David French | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 26, 2023. Data showed headline and core consumer prices both climbed by 0.2% in July, with the headline number notching annual rise of 3.2% and the core up 4.7%. He noted that while inflation has slowed, a look beyond the headline number revealed that core inflation remained sticky, and as traders parsed the data, the initial positive sentiment became more subdued. In separate data, the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose by 248,000 last week, exceeding estimates of 230,000. On the earnings front, Walt Disney (DIS.N) rose after beating Wall Street estimates for quarterly adjusted profit per share.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Gregg Abella, Mary Daly, Walt Disney, Michael Kors, Tapestry's, Alibaba, Joe Biden, Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Johann M, David French, Shashwat Chauhan, Shubham Batra, Vinay Dwivedi, David Gregorio Our Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Disney, U.S . Federal, Investment Partners, Management, Francisco Fed, Nasdaq, Treasury, Nvidia Corp, Microsoft, Apple, Dow Jones, Wall, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, Bengaluru, New York

Buoyed by inflation numbers, traders not only expect the central bank to stop further monetary tightening in 2023, they are also betting the Fed would start cutting interest rates early next year. "Inflation has returned to the good old days where in 2019 we saw an average monthly increase of around 0.2% ... The Fed, therefore, might feel it can pause as planned and not raise interest rates in September," said George Mateyo, chief investment officer at Key Private Bank. The tech-heavy Nasdaq led Wall Street lower on Wednesday, with heavyweight Nvidia (NVDA.O) falling 4.7%, followed closely by the other "Magnificent Seven" megacap stocks that drove this year's stock rally. On the earnings front, Walt Disney (DIS.N) rose 3.2% after beating Wall Street estimates for quarterly adjusted profit per share.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, George Mateyo, Mary Daly, Walt Disney, Michael Kors, Tapestry's, Joe Biden, Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Johann M Cherian, Shashwat Chauhan, Shubham Batra, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Disney, Dow, Nasdaq, Reserve, Key Private Bank, San Francisco Fed, Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Dow Jones, Wall, Alibaba, Wednesday, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, Bengaluru

☆ Daly: Premature to say if Fed has done enough on rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Whether we raise another time, or hold rates steady for a longer period -- those things are yet to be determined," Daly said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. "It would be premature to project what I think would happen because there's a lot of information coming in between now and our next meeting." While goods inflation is receding, and newly signed lease trends signal inflation from housing will also cool, core services inflation excluding housing has so far made little progress, Daly said. The Fed raised its policy a quarter of a percentage point last month, to a range of 5.25% to 5%, and policymakers will consider whether to raise rates further when they meet again in September, November and December. Daly before the most recent rate hike had thought a total of two more interest-rate increases would likely be needed before year's end, but she did not reiterate that view on Thursday.

Persons: Mary Daly, Daly, Ann Saphir, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, Yahoo Finance, U.S . Labor Department, Fed, Traders, Thomson

☆ CPI: Consumer prices rose by 3.2% annually in July, picking up for the first time in 13 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Minneapolis CNN —For the first time in more than 12 months, the pace of consumer price hikes accelerated on an annual basis. The Consumer Price Index rose 3.2% for the year through July, up from June’s 3% annual increase, according to data released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Core CPI, which excludes the more volatile food and energy prices, increased 0.2% from June and was up 4.7% from the year-ago period. July is the the fourth consecutive month that annual core CPI has eased, and the 4.7% rate landed 0.1 percentage points below consensus expectations. Shelter prices rose 0.4% month on month and were up 7.7% for the year ending in July.

Persons: “ Don’t, ”, Julia Pollak, Joe Biden, ” Biden, “ We’ve, Kurt Rankin, Dow, “, Joe Brusuelas, Brusuelas, Tamara Charm, Brandon Bell, Danielle DiMartino Booth, DiMartino Booth, — CNN’s Elisabeth Buchwald Organizations: Minneapolis CNN —, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, CPI, Federal Reserve, PNC, Nasdaq, RSM US, CNN, San, Services, “, McKinsey, Quill Intelligence, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Locations: Minneapolis, June’s, San Francisco, Austin , Texas

The Consumer Price Index rose at a 3.2% annual rate in July, which was a slight increase over June's 3% reading. Typically, that would be associated with a jump in unemployment as businesses and consumers scale back. Yet the unemployment rate has remained below 4% -- low for the U.S. -- since February 2022, and stood at 3.5% as of last month. Others feel the economy remains slow to adjust to higher interest rates, and that the unemployment rate will ultimately rise before the Fed finishes its inflation fight. The current Fed "has been uniquely successful thus far in lowering inflation while leaving the unemployment rate at its lowest levels in roughly half a century," they wrote, with the potential that policy tightening so far "may bring about further declines in inflation without a dramatic rise in the unemployment rate.

Persons: Bryan Woolston, Pierre, Daniel Sarte, Paul Ashworth, Ashworth, Mary Daly, Howard Schneider, Andrea Ricci, Christina Fincher, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Kentucky, Center, REUTERS, Bryan Woolston WASHINGTON, . Federal Reserve, Richmond Fed, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Fed, Graphics, North, Capital Economics, Traders, San Francisco Fed, Yahoo Finance, U.S, Thomson Locations: Frankfort , Kentucky, U.S, North America

☆ The rising cost of shelter represented 90% of last month’s inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

After steadily increasing, year-over-year shelter inflation has moved down for four consecutive months, from 8.2% in March to 7.7% in July. “Our baseline forecast suggests that year-over-year shelter inflation will continue to slow through late 2024 and may even turn negative by mid-2024,” the researchers wrote. Total inflation will go down when shelter inflation dropsCurrently, there is a disconnect between shelter inflation, which has remained higher, and other components of inflation that have fallen. For renters, shelter inflation includes rent and utility payments. The researchers at the San Francisco Fed crafted models combining several measures of local shelter and rent inflation to help explain how recent trends might affect the path of future shelter inflation.

Persons: San Francisco Fed, “, ” Organizations: DC CNN, Index, Federal Reserve Bank of San, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco . Housing, Housing, Federal, San Francisco, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: Washington, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco .

☆ SoftBank sues social media startup it invested in, alleging it faked user numbers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

SoftBank's Vision Fund filed suit against the founders of one of its portfolio companies Monday, alleging that they artificially inflated user metrics, lied to the fund about performance and bilked the fund for millions. Buzzy social media startup IRL launched in April 2021 and was seemingly "one of the fastest growing social media apps for Generation Z," the complaint in San Francisco federal court alleges. SoftBank was invested in the company due to its apparently low cost, "strong" user engagement that left it "well positioned for further viral growth" in the same way Facebook and Twitter exploded. SoftBank believed that IRL had 12 million monthly active users. Past missteps from SoftBank include large positions in allegedly fraudulent crypto exchange FTX and devalued property company WeWork .

Persons: Masayoshi, SoftBank, Abraham Shafi, Noah Shafi, Yassin Aniss, Abraham Shafi's Organizations: Vision Fund, Facebook, Twitter, IRL, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission Locations: San Francisco, SoftBank

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