Top economist on the economy’s dirty truth: The only people who feel good are ‘making over $200,000’ and ‘have large stock portfolios’

Top economist on the economy’s dirty truth: The only people who feel good are ‘making over $200,000’ and ‘have large stock portfolios’

Inflation may be increasing at a slower pace than expected, the markets might be cheering, and the Fed will likely soon be cutting, but Diane Swonk isn’t popping Champagne. The veteran economist says the economy “looks better than it feels” because the very data used to measure it is eroding, and the illusion of resilience could…

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Inflation breakdown for September 2025, in one chart

Inflation breakdown for September 2025, in one chart

Inflation edged higher in September amid a jump in gasoline prices and other essentials like electricity, while President Donald Trump’s tariffs put pressure on prices for physical goods like clothing and furniture, economists said. The consumer price index, a key inflation barometer, rose 3% in September from a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday….

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Social Security sets its 2026 COLA increase at 2.8%. Here's what that means for your benefits.

Social Security sets its 2026 COLA increase at 2.8%. Here’s what that means for your benefits.

The Social Security Administration on Friday announced a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026, an increase that will automatically boost monthly payments for the program’s roughly 75 million beneficiaries starting early next year. The increase represents an uptick from the last year’s cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, which set the 2025 increase at 2.5%. Inflation has edged higher…

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