The economy’s strength and stability — defying many of the most optimistic predictions — represents a remarkable development after seemingly endless crises
As 2023 winds to a close, Powell and his colleagues are far from declaring victory on inflation. They routinely caution that their actions could be thwarted by any number of threats, from war in the Middle East to China’s economic slowdown. Americans are upset about high costs for rent, groceries and other basics, which aren’t going back to pre-pandemic levels. The White House, too, is quick to emphasize that much work remains.
Yet the economy is ending the year in a remarkably better position than almost anyone on Wall Street or in mainstream economics predicted, having bested just about all expectations time and again. Inflation has dropped to 3.1 percent, from a peak of 9.1. The unemployment rate is at a hot 3.7 percent, and the economy grew at a healthy clip in the most recent quarter. The Fed is probably finished hiking interest rates and is eyeing cuts next year. Financial markets are at or near all-time highs, and the S&P 500 could hit a new record this week, too.
So the inflated price should come down right? …right…
Damn when a pound of onions cost $2.50 I don’t really call this progress or “Finding a way out”
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Ending inflation doesn’t mean that prices come down. It means that they stop rising. (or, more realistically, go back to rising at 2% to 3% per year)
Deflation is when prices drop. It’s bad; what happens is that it’s more valuable to hold onto cash than to invest it in starting or expanding a business, so the economy as a whole craters like the US did in the Great Depression. You probably don’t want that.
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Are you a politics mod too?
No, but I I studied a tiny bit of macroeconomics once.
Good, I’d hate for the mods here to delete points of view that they don’t agree with 🤪. Like the Climate sub!
It’s not a matter of disagreement; there’s room for legit disagreement about a lot of things. It’s a matter of joining in a active fossil-fuel-industry disinformation campaign. That gets me to take content down because it’s basically impossible to have a rational discussion when that’s part of it.
Thinking that humans are a net negative to the natural world and deserve the consequences of the climate apocalypse isn’t a fossil fuel industry disinformation talking point, you literally just disagree with my opinions and shadowbanned me without warning or way to appeal. Big difference in “taking content down” and the former.
Doomerism is in fact a fossil fuel industry talking point; it’s part of what they do to discourage action.
If the only solution is suicide, nobody will act.
Yo ngl I cannot care one iota about the S&P 500 when food costs nearly double what it did before the pandemic and rents are skyrocketing.
That falls on your local economy and state and local elected officials. Rent is always due to local officials and how the zone the city. Local and State Corporate taxes also play a role in higher prices. If I were you, I’d check the local city council schedule and speak on those concerns.
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I feel you, but there’s not much Biden can do about either thing.
Unfortunately, he will get the blame for it anyway.
I feel you, but there’s not much Biden can do about either thing
Weird the article is giving credit to Biden for inflation then…
It’s just getting old that if something good happens, Biden gets credit. If something doesn’t get fixed, then it’s not his fault because he’s just the president.
It’s the type of stuff I’m used to only hearing from Republicans.
I mean. At the absolute bare minimum the White House should understand how this comes off to voters like the person your replying to.
All it does is highlight how voters aren’t the concern, it’s the wealthy who have already made huge increases in the wealth since 2019.
“Nothing will fundamentally change” he told the wealthy before he was elected. And credit where credit is due, Biden has kept that promise to them.
Within any adminstration there will be things in and outside of their sphere of influence.
What’s often attributed to Biden himself can often more accurately be attributed to his cabinet as a whole.
When people say it’s not their fault they often mean the issue at hand needs a Senate resolution which will never happen because it’s controlled by the Republican party who has a “do you enemy no favors” policy whenever a democrat is in office.
So what did Biden do for this?
The article says:
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Skyrocketing interest rates.
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Increased fossil fuels drilling
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And forcing ports to operate 24/7 to flood the market with imported consumer goods.
All things that have massive negative effects on the average American, but help large corporations and the wealthy who own them.
Which brings us back full circle to OP’s complaint that this victory lap is celebrating something that only benefits the most wealthy Americans and fucks over the rest of us.
Is that what we’re supposed to be congratulating Biden on?
Is this honestly going to convince voters that Biden cares about them? Because according to polls, they don’t feel like that, and that will depress turnout which is the only way Republicans can become president.
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So…
You’re saying the article lists three more things that helped the wealthy.
And one of your examples for how that helps the average American is it kept housing prices high?
And you know what avoids layoffs and actually helps workers? Fixing the actual problem which is out of control wealth inequality.
Even just trying to do something about that would pretty much guarantee Biden gets a second term.
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Another narrative: employment was up and workers were gaining power. Out of nowhere, JP Morgan Chase chairperson started going to meetings and talking about a recession, over and over. Other businesses took his lead and started raising prices. After a while we’re no closer to a recession, but we have lost a lot in standard of living.
When a handful of corporations control entire industries, capitalism stops working.
It’s supposed to be a bunch of competitors trying to get as many sales as possible by having the lowest prices or highest quality.
But in the current economy, if a corporation raises their prices across the board, the rest raise their prices. The only times they lower prices, is straight to a loss to force small competitors out of business. The large corporations can deal without profits for six months, smaller companies go under and often have to sell to the giant corporations.
This cycle has been repeating for decades, it’s not hard to notice it
The only solution is breaking up those giant corporations. Republicans sure as shit won’t do it, but neither will the moderate wing of the Democratic party. It would cut into their donations too much.
If anything in the economy is “too big to fail” the solution is breaking them up, not bailing them out whenever necessary.
Do you see excess stock? Profits are not particularly high after the two years of costs that COVID created. Trillions of dollars were printed during COVID while people were not working and products were not being manufactured/farmed/repaired/…
There simply was/is more money floating around then stuff being produced. Unless God herself comes down and drops food/shelter/iPods from heaven, costs won’t come down. Failing that, it is up to us to produce these products otherwise nothing will change.
