4-decade high US inflation dips, but still causing pain
Consumer prices jumped 8.3% in April compared to a year ago, officials said
WASHINGTON — Inflation slowed in April after seven months of relentless gains, a tentative sign that price increases may be peaking while still imposing a financial strain on American households.
Consumer prices jumped 8.3% last month from a year ago, the government said Wednesday. That was below the 8.5% yearover-year surge in March, which was the highest since 1981. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.3% from March to April, the smallest increase in eight months.
Still, Wednesday’s report contained some cautionary signs that inflation may be becoming more entrenched. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices jumped twice as much from March to April as they did the previous month. The increases were fueled by spiking prices for airline tickets, hotel rooms and new cars. Apartment rental costs also kept rising.
Those price jumps “make clear that there is still a long way to go before inflation returns to more acceptable levels,” said Eric Winograd, U.S. economist at asset manager AB.
Even if it moderates, inflation will likely remain high well into 2023, economists say, leaving many Americans burdened by price increases that have outpaced pay raises. Especially hurt are lower-income and Black and Hispanic families, who are disproportionately squeezed by costlier food, gas and rent.
For now, a fallback in gas prices in April helped slow overall inflation. Nationally, average prices for a gallon of gas fell to as low as $4.10 in April, according to AAA, after spiking to $4.32 in March. But since then, gas prices have surged to a record $4.40 a gallon.
Grocery prices are still spik
ing, in part because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has heightened the cost of wheat and other grains. Food prices rose 1% from March to April and nearly 11% from a year ago. That year-over-year increase is the biggest since 1980.
Turmoil overseas could accelerate inflation in the coming months. If the European Union, for example, decides to bar imports of Russian oil, world oil prices could rise. So could U.S. gas prices. And China’s COVID lockdowns could worsen supply chain snarls.
In April, airfares soared a record 18.6%, the largest monthly increase since record-keeping began in 1963. Hotel prices jumped 1.7% from March to April.
Southwest Airlines said last month that it is expecting much higher revenue and profits this year as Americans flood the airports after postponing travel for two years. The company said its average fare soared 32% in the first three months of the year from the same period last year to $159.
There are signs that supply chains are improving for some goods. Wednesday’s report showed prices for appliances and clothing both fell 0.8%, while the cost of used cars dropped 0.4%, the third straight decline. Used cars and other goods drove much of the initial inflation spike last year as Americans stepped up spending after vaccines.