5 Items Seeing the Biggest Price Rises Amid Inflation

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The most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) report brought welcome news to a country already anxious about a potential return of rising prices. Year-over-year inflation rose by 2.8% in February, down from 3% the month before. Despite overall decelerating inflation, several key categories experienced worrisome price spikes.

Here are the items that are getting more expensive even as inflation appears to cool. 

Eggs

The incredible, unaffordable egg remains the poster child for inflation. In January, the price of eggs rose by 12.5% from January 2024. In February, however, things got worse — much worse — when the CPI report showed a staggering 58.8% year-over-year increase in the cost of a dozen eggs.

Beef 

Meat lovers got a rude awakening at the grocery store last month when the price of beef and veal soared by 7.6% versus 2% in January. Here’s how much prices rose per selection.

• Uncooked ground beef: 7.8% compared to 2.7% in January
• Uncooked beef roasts: 9.5% compared to 3.8% in January
• Uncooked beef steaks: 6.3% compared to -0.4% in January
• Uncooked other beef and veal: 9.5% compared to 3.1% in January

Car Insurance

Supermarket offerings dominated the list, but they were hardly alone. Motor vehicle insurance prices rose by 11.1% in February compared to 0.9% in January. The cost of auto maintenance and repairs jumped from 0.3% to 5.8%.

Coffee

The price of coffee jumped by 6% year over year compared to just 1.6% in January. Roasted coffee was up by 5.8%, but instant coffee led the charge with an 8.6% increase. 

Frozen Fish and Seafood

While inflation was modest for fresh and processed fish and seafood, the price of the kind in the frozen aisle spiked by 5.9% in February year over year. That’s a steep jump from 1% in January. 

What It Means

According to Reuters and CBS News, the good news from February’s CPI report is tempered with a few potential warning signs. Fast-rising prices in several key categories — particularly ongoing accelerated food inflation — show that the Fed still has work to do in its years-long mission to tamp the rate down to its target of 2%. 

The report might appear benign in a vacuum, but it is coupled with sharp stock market losses and tariff-fueled trade tensions that could trigger steep price increases on many imports in the near future. That makes the February CPI one indicator among several that combine to reveal what could be underlying economic weakness.

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