The National Federation for Independent Business, a trade group, said it found in a monthly survey that 61 percent of small companies increased their prices in January, the largest proportion since 1974 and up from just 15 percent before the pandemic.
In December, economists at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School estimated that the average household had to spend $3,500 more to buy the same amount of goods and services than they did in 2020.
SINGAPORE: Oil prices edged down on Thursday, after rallying on an unexpected drop in US crude inventories in the previous session, as investors await the outcome of US-Iran nuclear talks that could add crude supplies quickly to global markets. The restoration of sanction waivers to Iran to allow international nuclear cooperation projects, which were announced last week, along with some positive comments from Russian diplomats, suggest that the parties are moving closer toward a deal, Patterson said.
“The core uncertainty remains whether Iran is willing to sign on the dotted line,” Eurasia analyst Henry Rome said, adding that the consultancy was holding onto a 40 percent call on a return to the agreement.
The settlement of the issuance, with a total of 3,750 bonds, will take place on Feb.