by winston » Fri Apr 10, 2026 10:29 am
Inflation
Now, despite that lag time, we still have clues about how prices have moved during the war. Consider what’s already happened in the real economy:
Gasoline: The national average jumped from $2.98 before the war to a peak of $4.11 – a 38% surge in just six weeks.
Shipping: The U.S. Postal Service filed for an emergency 8% delivery surcharge to combat rising transportation overhead.
Agriculture: Essential fertilizer prices spiked more than 40% in a single month, baking higher costs into the upcoming fall harvest.
Air Travel: Delta raised checked bag fees to $45 to offset jet fuel costs, which have soared nearly 88% in major hubs since the conflict began.
E-Commerce: Amazon and other major retailers implemented a new 3.5% fuel surcharge taking effect April 17 to cover skyrocketing diesel costs for delivery fleets.
Utilities: Natural gas volatility has already pushed wholesale electricity prices up to 45% higher in some regions, signaling a massive spike in summer cooling bills.
Aluminum: Prices surged 8% in March alone, impacting the cost of everything from soda cans to consumer electronics and auto parts.
Plastics: Polyethylene and polypropylene prices – the building blocks for food containers and bottles – surged 37% to 40% since the start of the war.
Bottom line: Today’s data wasn’t an inflation shock, but it establishes a higher baseline than we’d prefer before such a shock might arrive.
Source: Investor Place
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