Interest rates are going up, driving cost upward but consumers are sceptical they will get interest on their own money that beats the inflation. So they buy things that are more expensive now than last year because they are able to estimate future cost (or future dollar loss of buying power).<p>Higher interest rates that push every organization to maximize profit are planned by the government not the consumer.
Antagonizing headlines like this one make me irrationally angry.
They’re also a good way to make me lose interest in all of the Atlantic for a long, long time.
Counterpoints:<p><a href="https://abovethelaw.com/2023/11/there-really-was-a-corporate-conspiracy-to-inflate-egg-prices-and-its-been-proven-in-federal-court/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://abovethelaw.com/2023/11/there-really-was-a-corporate...</a> ("There Really Was A Corporate Conspiracy To Inflate Egg Prices, And It's Been Proven In Federal Court")<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-27/gasoline-prices-drop-for-60-days-in-win-for-us-holiday-spending" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-27/gasoline-...</a> ("US Gasoline Prices Fall for 60 Straight Days in Win for US Holiday Spending")<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/08/apartment-rents-on-verge-of-declining-due-to-massive-supply.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/08/apartment-rents-on-verge-of-...</a> ("Apartment rents are on the verge of declining due to massive new supply")<p><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Travel/airfare-prices-plummet-prepare-book-holiday-travel/story?id=102959513" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Travel/airfare-prices-plummet-pre...</a> ("The cost of a plane ticket is plummeting: Experts say domestic airfare for the fall is down 29% from the summer.")<p><a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/su...</a> ("USDA: Prices declined for three food-at-home categories between September and October 2023. Four food-at-home categories had lower prices in October 2023 compared with October 2022: eggs, fresh vegetables, fish and seafood, and dairy products.")<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-08/food-prices-resume-decline-despite-lingering-supply-threats" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-08/food-pric...</a> ("Food Prices Resume Decline Despite Lingering Supply Threats")<p><a href="https://www.kansascityfed.org/research/economic-bulletin/corporate-profits-contributed-a-lot-to-inflation-in-2021-but-little-in-2022/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.kansascityfed.org/research/economic-bulletin/cor...</a> ("Corporate Profits Contributed a Lot to Inflation in 2021 but Little in 2022—A Pattern Seen in Past Economic Recoveries")<p><a href="https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/10/how-widespread-is-price-fixing-in-the-us-economy.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/10/how-widespread-is-pr...</a> ("How Widespread Is Price-Fixing in the US Economy?")