Easing Tensions

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What's Happening Today

Good morning! It's Kristin with your daily morning digest.

Stocks are rising today in response to news that Russia is pulling troops away from the Ukraine border. Crude oil prices are also easing after surging to highs not seen since 2014 on concerns about geopolitical tensions.

You might think that what's happening in Eastern Europe has nothing to do with your wallet, but you'd be wrong. Russia is a big producer of oil, and markets have been responding to fears that energy markets could have been disrupted if Russia invaded Ukraine.

And more discouraging news on the inflation front: wholesale prices surged in January, along with rising consumer prices. This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that its Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures inflation for manufacturers, rose 1% in January and 9.7% from last year. Both rates were above what economists expected.

Don't miss tonight's Instagram Live conversation with Matthew Garland, mortgage advisor, broker, and CEO of the Garland Mortgage Group. We'll be discussing everything you need to know and expect during the homebuying process. Tune in at 6 p.m. Eastern.

- Kristin

Editors' Picks

No Signs of Inflation Relief in Producer Price Report (The Balance)

How Regular Investors Can Stay Ahead of Russia-Ukraine Tensions and Monitor Market Reaction (CNBC)

Farmers Feel the Squeeze of Inflation (The Wall Street Journal)

Could This Type of Student Loan Forgiveness Be Next? (The Balance)

Off the Charts

Three years from now, will we look at today's soaring prices and think of it as the bad old days? It seems more likely, if consumers' own expectations are any gauge.

When asked to predict what the annual inflation rate will be three years from now, those surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York each month have grown a bit more optimistic.

Number of the Day

76 - That's how many container ships were waiting to unload at one port complex Friday—33 fewer than a month earlier and a possible sign of easing inflation.

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