Big Inflation News!

Well, maybe not so big. Just so you know, there was no inflation except for inflation. That is, if you strip out fuel and food, prices didn't really go up much. Interestingly, a big factor in keeping the so-called "core inflation rate" (ex food and energy) was rents, likely due to many of those young house flippers becoming unexpected landlords, having to rent out their investments.

I continue to contend that, while less of an influence than at one time, there's no way you can have energy prices continue to climb and have it not permeate the economy eventually. Take that with an ultimately cooling Chinese economy (and decreased ability to buy our debt), and with our government's propensity to continue to spend like a drunken sailor on unnecessary wars, how can you not see an increase in inflation and interest rates? It may be a crawl, but crawl it will.

Update: Mortgage foreclosure hit a high not seen in fifty years!