EXPLAINER: Why US inflation is so high, and when it may ease
By PAUL WISEMAN
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — At first, it didn’t even register as a threat. Then it seemed like a temporary annoyance. Now, inflation is flashing red for the Federal Reserve’s policymakers — and delivering sticker shock to Americans at the used car lot, the supermarket, the gas station, the rental office. It wasn’t supposed to be this way — not with the coronavirus pandemic keeping people hunkered down at home and triggering a devastating recession beginning in March 2020. So what’s caused the spike in inflation, and how long might it last?