First, it’s…Friday – reason enough to celebrate!
Second, the baseball season opened this week…although my beloved White Sox lost to Detroit, the Sox had very good pitching and defense. Yeah, they won’t be good this year but at least they’ll catch the ball…
Third, women’s NCAA hoops has been really fun. Watching Caitlin Clark – wow. That plus how much she inspires girls is making for the best championship in forever.
Fourth, the US economy is doing very well, with new data showing production increased more last month than previously reported, AND
business and household income jumped almost 5% in the last quarter of 2023 while core inflation dropped…
From Barron’s
Finally, in another win for consumers the Biden Administration’s effort to force a cap of $8 on late fees for credit card payments is making progress. That would be a big help for those who miss a deadline…the AVERAGE late fee is $30.
From Accountable USA
CFPB identified late fees as “the most significant fee assessed to cardholders in both dollar amount and frequency” and a major contributor to the more than $1 trillion in outstanding credit card debt in 2022.
What does this mean for you?
Things are getting better. Well, not including the White Sox’ chances of a winning season…
I don’t understand folks who believe the economy is in shambles, other than a young person trying to buy a house. For home sellers and everyone else, it’s very strong.
Hi Steve – I’ve been a bit mystified myself by the public’s views…the press has attempted to explain it but no arguments or rationalizations have been convincing.
My take is younger folks who have never experienced inflation are a bit shocked…those of us who lived through the late 70s and early 80s are taking this in stride.
Net is wage growth continues to outpace inflation, job growth is quite strong, and the media needs to keep the focus on reality, not caterwauling about non-problems. As they are wont to do.
cheers Joe