COVID-19 hospitalizations surge in southern US - September 14, 2021

The consumer price index increased 0.3% from July – the smallest advance in seven months and less than forecast. Compared with a year ago, the CPI rose 5.3%. Inflation expectations among U.S. consumers over the medium term rose to the highest level on record in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s surveys. Consumers expect inflation at 4% over the next three years and are anticipating higher rates of price increases for items like rent and food. Stock futures jump after CPI inflation report comes in less than expected - CNBC U.S. core consumer prices slow sharply in August - Reuters @LizyoungStrat: CPI ex-food and energy m/m is back down to pre-crisis levels. Used cars (-1.5%), car and truck rental (-8.5%), and airfare (-9.1%) contributed to the slowdown. Some of this is a pause from Delta variant, but a cooling in multiple spots. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday threatened to fine cities and counties thousands of dollars if they impose vaccine requirements on their employees. The share of job postings requiring vaccination skyrocketed following the full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and at the end of August, the share of job postings per million recommending, rather than requiring, vaccination jumped 40% month over month. Work in the Covid-19 Era: What the Numbers Say About Vaccine Mandates, Quitting and More - The Wall Street Journal Companies have questions for President Biden about vaccine mandates. - The New York Times Survey: Employers rethinking return-to-work plans as COVID-19 surges - Fierce Healthcare The pandemic accelerated the importance of strengthening supply chains, prompting many companies to invest in resilience, including diversification or the use of advanced technologies to anticipate and minimize risks. Disruptions are slated to increase in magnitude and frequency – one study found companies are expected to experience disruptions lasting at least a month long approximately every 3.7 years. Solar prices jumped in the second quarter, reversing recent trends, on