Economics

• Consumer prices (CPI) jumped 0.8% in February, or 7.9% year-over-year. Gasoline has replaced cars as a key driver…and food and rent too. (Reuters)
• One economist well known for his economic history, Charles Goodhart, predicted this would happen. If you can access the WSJ, this is a great article.
• While economists expected inflation to start to wane about now, the war will certainly put upward pressure on prices. Here is Treasury Secretary Yellen’s view. (Huff Post)
• The ECB (European Central Bank) is accelerating its wind down of support for the market. (CNBC) The Federal Reserve’s FOMC meets next week.
• Anyone watching the real estate market knows that in most markets, house prices are through the roof. In fact, the percentage of homes valued over $1 million has almost doubled in just two years. (Redfin)
• And will rents keep rising like crazy? One real estate investor thinks maybe not. (Forbes)

Investing

• We live in uncertain times. We have before too. The Irrelevant Investor gives us some perspective on investing today.
• Amazon announced stock split and stock buy-back at the same time. (CNBC) Will it become part of the Dow? (Yahoo Finance)
• Why do women invest less than men? (Morningstar)
• Is the market correction about over? (Yahoo Finance)

Cryptocurrency

• President Biden issued an executive order to study cryptocurrencies. Read about what agencies are going to examine. (Investopedia, CNBC)

Student Loans

• About 100,000 borrowers may now be eligible for forgiveness of $6.2 billion of loans as the PSLF program has been revamped. (CNN, Business Insider)

Credit Cards

• Now that the pandemic seems to be waning, Visa and Mastercard are about to raise the fees they charge merchants for processing transactions. (Business Insider)

About the Author

Beth Tallman

Beth Tallman entered the working world armed with an MBA in finance and thoroughly enjoyed her first career working in manufacturing and telecommunications, including a stint overseas. She took advantage of an involuntary separation to try teaching high school math, something she had always dreamed of doing. When fate stepped in once again, Beth jumped on the opportunity to combine her passion for numbers, money, and education to develop curriculum and teach personal finance at Oberlin College. Beth now spends her time writing on personal finance and financial education, conducts student workshops, and develops finance curricula and educational content. She is also the Treasurer of Ohio Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.