Inflation eases to 3.4% amid the Federal Reserve's battle to tame higher prices
CBSN
The Consumer Price Index rose 3.4% in April on an annual basis, signaling a slight moderation after hotter-than-expected price hikes at year start.
That was in line with a forecast for a 3.4% increase from economists polled by financial services company FactSet. It's also slightly cooler than March's 3.5% inflation bump.
Wall Street is closely watching Wednesday's CPI report for signs that the Federal Reserve's battle against inflation is regaining some ground after prices ticked higher in the first three months of 2024. Stubborn inflation has prompted the Federal Reserve to push back expectations for rate cuts in 2024, with Fed Chair Jerome Powell saying the central bank prefers to keep rates high until inflation retreats to about 2% on an annual basis, rather than risk cutting too early and fueling another bout of price spikes.
Washington — The Supreme Court on Friday said it will consider the constitutionality of the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund, agreeing to review a lower court decision that upended the mechanism for funding programs that provide communications services to rural areas, low-income communities and schools, libraries and hospitals.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched six space tourists on a high-speed dash to the edge of space and back Friday, giving the passengers — including a husband and wife making their second flight — about three minutes of weightlessness and an out-of-this world view before the capsule made a parachute descent to touchdown at the company's west Texas flight facility.