Data & financial journalist covering global economics and policy
Rising oil prices are now feeding into U.S. inflation, with energy costs driving a sharp increase in headline CPI for March. As crude climbs above $100 per barrel amid Iran war tensions, the divergence between headline and core inflation is complicating the Federal Reserve’s path on interest rates.
The deficit has eased from its 2022 peak, yet imports still far exceed exports as strong consumer demand, a strong dollar, and supply chain shifts sustain a record-era trade gap.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will impose a 10% tariff on imports from eight European countries starting February 1, tying the move to opposition over Greenland.
In 2025, the U.S. economy didn’t simply cool or rebound but changed in ways that were visible in the data itself.
A shutdown distorted inflation, tariffs reset global trade, U.S. debt buyers quietly swapped places, and food prices surged. I pick five charts that captured how policy and politics reshaped the American economy in 2025.