Category: Cost of Living
-
China is buying the 25 million tons of U.S. soybeans it promised, but other farm purchases lag after the Trump-Xi summit
China is more than halfway toward buying the 25 million tons of U.S. soybeans it committed to under its trade agreement with the Trump administration, with purchases accelerating in the weeks before the September 24, 2026 Trump-Xi summit in Washington. A separate, broader pledge covering at least $17 billion in additional U.S. farm purchases has…
-
Trump and Xi only extended their trade truce to January 10, so tariffs on Chinese goods stay in place through the holidays
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced two months of additional breathing room in the U.S.-China trade standoff on September 24, 2026, the day President Trump hosted President Xi Jinping in Washington. The truce that had been due to expire November 10 will now run through January 10, 2027, Bessent said, meaning the tariffs already sitting on…
-
Costco’s paid memberships reached 84.1 million, and 92.3% of U.S. and Canadian members renewed
Costco closed its fiscal year with 84.1 million paid memberships, up 3.8 percent from a year earlier, and a renewal rate of 92.3 percent among members in the United States and Canada. Chief Financial Officer Gary Millerchip disclosed both figures on the September 24, 2026 earnings call covering the fourth quarter and full fiscal year.…
-
Costco’s Colombian coffee dropped to $19.99 from $21.99, and its black pepper to $5.99 from $6.99
Two pantry staples got cheaper at Costco at the same time. Kirkland Signature Colombian whole bean coffee fell to $19.99 from $21.99, and Kirkland Signature coarse black pepper fell to $5.99 from $6.99, both disclosed as part of the fourth-quarter results Costco reported on September 24, 2026. The two cuts arrived alongside reductions on two…
-
FedEx will raise shipping rates an average 5.9% on January 4
FedEx has set the date and size of its next broad rate increase. Effective January 4, 2027, the company’s U.S. domestic, export and import list rates for package services will rise an average of 5.9 percent, according to FedEx’s own shipping rate-changes page. Two smaller, separate fee changes take effect later in January, and a…
-
Insurify projects car insurance rates will rise in 32 states by year’s end
Car insurance premiums are projected to climb in most of the country before the year closes out. Insurify, a private online insurance marketplace, projects that 32 states will see rate increases by the end of 2026, led by Connecticut and West Virginia, while a small number of states are projected to move the other way.…
-
Full-coverage car insurance averages $187 a month, but Maryland drivers pay $303 and New Hampshire drivers $84
A driver shopping for full-coverage car insurance this fall is looking at a national average that has barely moved since spring, but that average hides an enormous range from state to state. Insurify, a private online insurance marketplace that tracks the rates its users are quoted, reported on September 8 that full-coverage premiums held steady…
-
Ambetter’s Pennsylvania marketplace customers face a 35.1% premium increase in 2027, while Oscar’s rise is 1.4%
Pennsylvania’s Insurance Department has finalized 2027 Affordable Care Act marketplace rates, and how much a household’s bill rises next year depends heavily on which insurer sells the plan. Ambetter Health of Pennsylvania’s approved increase is 35.1 percent, the steepest among the state’s marketplace insurers, while Oscar Health Plan of Pennsylvania’s approved increase is just 1.4…
-
Natural gas storage is on track to enter winter 5% above normal, a relief for gas-heated homes, the EIA forecasts
Homes that heat with natural gas are getting a cautiously encouraging forecast ahead of the coldest months. The Energy Information Administration’s Short-Term Energy Outlook, released September 9, projects that the nation’s natural gas storage will enter winter about 5 percent above the five-year average, a cushion that historically has helped keep heating costs in check.…
-
Electricity cost 25.4% more per kilowatt-hour in Hawaii this July than a year earlier, with Ohio up 15.2% and Maryland 14.8%
No state’s electricity revenue climbed faster this July than Hawaii’s, where utilities collected 25.4 percent more per kilowatt-hour sold than they did in July 2025. Ohio followed at 15.2 percent and Maryland at 14.8 percent, according to newly released federal energy data covering every customer that buys electricity, not households alone. The figures come from…