May CPI: glass half-empty, glass half-full

Marketplace

News, Business

4.6 • 8.6K Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The May CPI report dropped Wednesday and it’s a doozy: Inflation rose 4.2% over the last 12 months. This means wallet pressure is bearing down on consumers, as wage growth lags behind price growth. On the other hand, the CPI report includes signals that inflation may have reached its peak. In this episode, an optimist’s and pessimist’s reading of the latest inflation data. Plus: Slowing immigration will have long-term effects on the U.S. economy, and summer camps shift to accommodate anxious teens.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	On the one hand, on the other hand, two sides of the same coin.
0:07.4	Oh, no, wait, wait, I got it.
0:09.3	Half full, half empty.
0:12.3	From American Public Media, this is Marketplace. In Los Angeles, I'm Kyle Rizdall.
0:27.5	It is Wednesday, today the 10th of June, good as it always is, to have you along, everybody.
0:33.7	Regular listeners to this program will know that there is rarely only unadulterated good or only
0:40.2	unadulterated bad economic news. Does that happen sometimes? Sure. Did it happen today?
0:47.6	No. No, it did not. Before you start throwing things, though, hear me out because there is, or there are,
0:53.7	at least two sides to
0:56.3	today's data. Begin, we shall, with the unadulterated bad. Consumer prices were up 4.2% last month. You've
1:03.6	heard that already. That is the year-over-year increase, and yes, it was driven in very large part
1:09.2	by the energy shocks, thanks to President Trump's war with Iran. And that is it was driven in very large part by the energy shocks thanks to President
1:11.5	Trump's war with Iran. And that is, as Marketplace's Elizabeth Trowval reports to get us going,
1:16.9	bad news for those that the Consumer Price Index is all about.
1:21.1	Anybody who was filled up the gas tank or bought airline tickets recently is well aware.
1:26.9	Consumer pockets have limited ability to stretch.
1:31.5	Yelena Shaliceva with the conference board says as energy prices push inflation higher than
1:36.8	wage increases.
1:38.3	That means negative implications for consumer spending going forward.
1:42.0	If the Strait of Hormuz stays closed and the world drains its oil inventories further,
1:47.3	energy prices could spike even higher.
1:50.2	And Christiana Baumeister with Notre Dame says there's a risk that what's happening with energy prices
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 24 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Marketplace, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Marketplace and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.