Middle East strikes lift crude and push pump prices

 

United States — Oil market responses to recent Middle East strikes pushed crude and gasoline prices higher this week. GasBuddy and AAA reported the national average gasoline price rose to about $2.94–$2.99 per gallon on Monday, with local averages ranging from $2.58 in Arkansas to $2.95 in Peoria and $2.92...

Nationwide fuel prices show mixed local trends this week

 

United States — Gas prices moved modestly this week as national averages rose while local markets varied. GasBuddy and AAA reports show the U.S. average climbed to about $2.88–$2.95 per gallon, driven by higher crude oil and geopolitical risk related to U.S.-Iran tensions. Local changes included declines in Peoria and...

U.S. Q4 Growth Cools to 1.4% After Shutdown

 

WASHINGTON The U.S. economy expanded at a 1.4 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday, missing the 2.5 percent projection and following a 4.4 percent third-quarter gain. Full-year 2025 GDP rose 2.2 percent. Officials attributed the slowdown to declines in federal spending, weaker exports and...

Washington inflation gauge accelerates in December readings

 

Washington. The Commerce Department on Friday reported a key inflation gauge accelerated in December, with monthly prices rising 0.4% after a 0.2% increase in November and annual inflation at 2.9%, up from 2.8%. Core prices, excluding food and energy, also rose 0.4% monthly and 3.0% annually. The release, delayed by...

US Trade Deficit Widens Despite Trump's Tariff Claims

 

Washington, U.S. government and media reports showed the overall 2025 trade deficit narrowed slightly to $901.5 billion, while the goods deficit rose to a record $1.24 trillion, as December's deficit jumped to $70.3 billion after imports surged. President Donald Trump attributed a 78% trade-deficit reduction to his tariffs, introduced April...

Midsize firms' tariff payments tripled last year, analyses show

 

WASHINGTON Federal Reserve economists and a JPMorganChase Institute analysis found tariffs imposed last year increased costs for U.S. firms and consumers. On Feb. 19, JPMorganChase reported midsized firms' tariff payments tripled, affecting companies that employ about 48 million people. A New York Fed paper similarly found American companies and consumers...

Japan Announces $36B U.S. Investments in Energy, Industry

 

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's administration announced on Tuesday three Japan-financed projects worth $36 billion, representing the first tranche under Tokyo's $550 billion U.S. investment pledge tied to a trade deal reducing tariffs to 15 percent. The projects include a 9.2-gigawatt natural gas power plant in Portsmouth, Ohio to be operated...

U.S. Regional Gas Prices Rise Amid Seasonal Trends

 

United States. Regional gasoline prices moved modestly this week as national averages edged higher, according to GasBuddy and AAA surveys. Michigan averages rose to $2.98 per gallon after a 15-cent weekly increase, while Indiana averaged $2.80 and Ohio's Toledo area held at $2.74. South Carolina's state average fell to $2.55,...

U.S. Consumer Inflation Falls to Nearly Five-Year Low

 

WASHINGTON — Consumer prices rose 2.4% year-over-year in January, down from 2.7% in December, as gas prices and apartment rent growth cooled, official U.S. data show. Core inflation, excluding food and energy, increased 2.5% year-over-year, the smallest gain since March 2021, after rising 2.6% in December. On a monthly basis,...

U.S. Inflation Slows as Core Pressures Still Persist

 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Labor Department reported Friday that consumer prices rose 2.4% in January from a year earlier, down from 2.7% in December, while core CPI excluding food and energy rose 2.5%. Monthly inflation showed modest gains, with headline up 0.2% and core up 0.3%, driven by lower gasoline...