The Inflation Chart the Media Doesn’t Want You Looking At (Cause It’s A HUGE WIN For Trump)

Inflation remained relatively stable in February, with consumer prices rising 2.4% year over year. That’s right around expectations and another sign that the inflation crisis that defined the Biden years has largely cooled.

For perspective, inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. Compared to that, today’s numbers look dramatically better.

On a month-to-month basis, prices rose 0.3% in February, slightly higher than the 0.2% increase in January, but still consistent with an economy where price pressures are easing.

Looking at the details, gasoline prices are down 5.6% year over year, used car prices are down 3.2%, eggs are down 42.1%, and health insurance costs are down 3.6%. At the same time, electricity is up 4.8%, utility gas is up 10.9%, shelter costs are up 3%, airfare is up 7.1%, and beef prices have surged 14.4%, while chicken prices are only up 0.5% and new car prices are up 0.5%.

Housing remains one of the stickier categories, but even there the data shows improvement. Rent increases posted their smallest monthly rise since January 2021, suggesting that one of the biggest drivers of inflation may finally be stabilizing.

One complicating factor is energy. February’s data does not yet reflect the impact of rising tensions in the Middle East, and the national average gas price is currently about $3.59 per gallon. The Federal Reserve is watching energy markets closely as it weighs whether interest rate cuts may be possible later this year.

The Fed’s target for healthy inflation is 2%, so we are still slightly above that mark. But compared to where the country was just a few years ago, inflation today is dramatically lower.

And politically, that matters. With the midterm elections only eight months away, affordability remains one of the top issues for voters. If inflation continues cooling, it becomes a powerful argument that the economic chaos of the past few years is finally being brought under control.