Sharkey, Howes & Javer

This week on Inside the Economy, we explore the economic impact from the current world events, safe haven status, and cost of energy. Inflation has cooled and is now stabilizing around 3%, but that remains above the Federal Reserve’s usual 2% target. This raises the question of whether consumers will begin to see meaningful relief in prices ahead. Over the past 80 years, gasoline and other energy goods have become a smaller share of U.S. consumer spending, yet they remain highly volatile. If the volatility persists, could the impact stay contained or could it begin to pressure broader household budgets? Global primary energy consumption is broadly diversified across sources, yet one category continues to gain share and stand out from the rest - so what is driving this shift, and what may it indicate for markets and the economy ahead? The S&P 500 has recently fallen below its 200-day moving average, a key technical support level, raising an important question: is this simply a short-term, headline-driven pullb