Federal Reserve governor Adriana Kugler said the Fed should hold interest rates steady for a while to come, because new trade barriers are likely to spark more inflation in the months ahead. Speaking at a housing conference in Washington,

Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers warned that President Donald Trump’s bid to assert control over the Federal Reserve and drive down interest rates could trigger a surge in inflation expectations that pushes up long-term borrowing costs.

Critics of President Trump's tariff policies have been waiting for the import taxes to raise the inflation rate. That effect may be beginning.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the consumer price index (CPI), a popular inflation gauge, increased in June to 2.7% on an annual basis as prices rose for consumers.

The report on producer prices adds to a mixed picture for inflation as the economy adjusts to the imposition of import tariffs.

A weaker U.S. dollar may fundamentally benefit some areas of the stock market, but “it could also potentially drive higher import costs, pressure consumers and flow through to inflation,” according to a note Thursday from Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

Factory-gate prices held steady in June, surprising economists. The producer-price index was flat last month, the Labor Department said, missing forecasts for a 0.2% rise. The index rose by a revised 0.

The figure for June marks the fastest rate of inflation, which measures how quickly prices are rising, since January 2024.

A number of factors, including a lack of significant gains in auto prices, are masking the extent of the shift.