Inflation was relatively flat as President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs went into effect in April, with lower grocery prices helping keep overall costs in check. Monthly inflation increased just 0.

Tariffs hadn't raised the cost of living as of March, according to Wednesday's report on the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation.

Investors are betting that the Federal Reserve is likely to keep interest rates on hold in the near term following another inflation reading that didn’t make things any easier for the central bank.

The Conference Board's consumer confidence index declined to its lowest level in five years in April, marking five months of declines and reaching levels not seen since COVID.

Investing.com -- U.S. Federal Reserve Vice Chair, Philip Jefferson, addressed the inflation outlook in light of potential new import taxes during a New York Fed event on Wednesday. Recent data suggested progress toward the 2% inflation target set by the Federal Reserve, but the potential for new import taxes has introduced uncertainty.

Romanian inflation remained unchanged last month as the gravest political crisis since the collapse of communism pushed the leu to a record low which will likely intensify price pressure and complicate the central bank’s wait-and-see approach to monetary policy in the coming month.

The U.S. Federal Reserve has adopted a wait-and-see stance on the economic fallout from Trump's tariff campaign before cutting interest rates again. Traders currently price in about 50 basis points of rate reductions between now and the end of the year, according to LSEG data, with the next quarter-point cut seen in September.

Because it's based on third-quarter inflation, it's impossible to predict the 2026 COLA with any degree of accuracy. Because of the ongoing tariff back-and-forth, as well as a generally slowing U.S. economy, the inflation rate on the back end of the year is more uncertain than it usually is.