Inflation is a normal part of the economy (and generally much better than deflation), but that doesn't make it any easier to stomach. This is particularly true for people who rely on fixed incomes, like millions of retirees receiving Social Security. To help offset it, Social Security implements an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) . This year, Social Security recipients received a 2.8% boos...
Inflation is a normal part of the economy (and generally much better than deflation), but that doesn't make it any easier to stomach. This is particularly true for people who rely on fixed incomes, like millions of retirees receiving Social Security. To help offset it, Social Security implements an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) . This year, Social Security recipients received a 2.8% boost to their benefits, but with energy prices skyrocketing amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, much of that boost has been canceled out. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Passengers are returning to their home countries after weeks on the ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak. The Americans aboard are headed for Nebraska to be evaluated by health officials. (Image credit: Chris McGrath)
Passengers are returning to their home countries after weeks on the ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak. The Americans aboard are headed for Nebraska to be evaluated by health officials. (Image credit: Chris McGrath)
Photo: VCG U.S. President Donald Trump will make a state visit to China from May 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday. The brief statement from a foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed the upcoming three-day trip, which marks a significant diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beijing.
Photo: VCG U.S. President Donald Trump will make a state visit to China from May 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday. The brief statement from a foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed the upcoming three-day trip, which marks a significant diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beijing.
A shopper walks past a Coach retail store inside a shopping mall on March 24, 2026 in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. Cheng Xin | Getty Images China's consumer and producer inflation jumped more than expected in April as the Middle East conflict drives commodity costs higher. Consumer prices ticked up 1.2% in April from a year earlier, beating economists' estimates of 0.9% growth in a Reuters...
A shopper walks past a Coach retail store inside a shopping mall on March 24, 2026 in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. Cheng Xin | Getty Images China's consumer and producer inflation jumped more than expected in April as the Middle East conflict drives commodity costs higher. Consumer prices ticked up 1.2% in April from a year earlier, beating economists' estimates of 0.9% growth in a Reuters poll, and accelerating from a 1% rise in March, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday. The producer price index jumped 2.8% from a year ago, exceeding economists' forecast of 1.6% and the 0.5% rebound in the prior month. The surge came after factory-gate prices turned positive for the first time in over three years, ending the longest deflationary streak in decades. Price growth has been aided by a jump in global commodity prices as the Iran war, now in its third month, has throttled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, upending energy markets. China, the world's largest crude importer, has cushioned the worst of the energy shock through its strategic oil stockpiles and a diversified mix of renewable energy sources — though economists warn the buffer has limits as the disruption prolongs. watch now VIDEO 4:26 04:26 China finds itself in a better negotiating position than the United States, says Dennis Unkovic Fast Money Data released on Saturday showed China's crude imports fell 20% in April in terms of volume from a year earlier. The country's overall export growth, however, accelerated last month, rising 14.1% from a year earlier and pushing the monthly trade surplus to $84.8 billion — putting the country on track for a third consecutive year of roughly a trillion-dollar surplus. That export strength, which has seen China's trade surplus with the U.S. widen to $87.7 billion so far this year, will be in focus next week as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to visit Beijing for a leaders' summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to...