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Demand for french fries reflects resilient consumer as so-called fry attachment rate holds steady

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A McDonald’s crew member prepares french fries in Miami, Florida.

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It’s a timeless question at fast-food counters: Do you want fries with that?

Responders continue answering affirmatively at a higher-than-average rate, a top potato supplier indicated. It underscores the resilience of consumer spending, even as inflation pinches pocketbooks and pandemic savings dry up.

A larger share of customers keep adding the iconic side to meal orders than in the past, according to frozen potato supplier Lamb Weston. Looking at the bigger picture, strength in the so-called fry attachment rate bolsters economic data, showing the willingness of average Americans to still shell out for everyday luxuries.

“The fry attachment rate has stayed pretty consistent,” said CEO Thomas Werner during the company’s earnings call on Thursday. “It’s been above historical levels for the past two, three years.”

This is just one example of how consumers keep purchasing despite mounting reasons to tighten purse strings, a phenomenon that’s puzzling economists.

Spending on retail and food services in America topped $700 billion in February, according to advance and adjusted government figures. That’s about 1.5% higher than the same month a year ago. And it’s a whopping 38.5% higher when compared with February 2019.

Rising wages and fiscal stimulus measures padded bank accounts during the early years of the Covid-19 crisis, prompting increased purchasing. But in more recent years, U.S. consumers have felt increasing pressure amid runaway inflation, elevated interest rates and the end of pandemic-era financial benefits.

And experts have been surprised by the unwavering propensity of Americans to use their cash, even as consumer confidence sours and fears of an economic downturn swirl. The choice to add french fries provides one case study of what some have dubbed “YOLO” or “revenge” spending, with the first term named after the acronym for “you only live once.”

Slowdown elsewhere

To be sure, there are signs of financial stress on consumers that impact monetary decisions around food. WK Kellogg CEO Gary Pilnick told CNBC earlier this year that cereal was trending as a dinner alternative while shoppers grappled with higher grocery costs.

Though customers still opt for fries, Werner said Lamb Weston’s volume took a hit nonetheless due to softer foot traffic overall in the restaurants it serves. That slide comes as consumers grow accustomed to increased prices for menu items as a result of inflation, the executive said. (Lamb Weston provides potatoes for large chains such as McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A, though Werner did not specify which companies are experiencing slowdowns.)

“On the one hand, fries remain as popular as ever with consumers,” Werner said. “But on the other hand, consumers are going out to eat less often.”

Lamb Weston on Thursday reported adjusted earnings and revenue for the fiscal third quarter that came in below estimates of analysts polled by FactSet. The Idaho-based company’s outlook for full-year performance on both financial measures also missed Wall Street forecasts.

Shares tumbled more than 19% in Thursday’s session, touching lows not seen in more than a year.

Correction: This article has been updated to remove an inaccurate reference to the timing of the Covid pandemic. This article was also updated with the correct spelling of Chick-fil-A.

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Who decides what legal terms mean? If it is Donald Trump, God help America

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Economics

Inflation rate slipped to 2.1% in April, lower than expected, Fed’s preferred gauge shows

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Inflation rate slipped to 2.1% in April, lower than expected, Fed’s preferred gauge shows

Inflation barely budged in April as tariffs President Donald Trump implemented in the early part of the month had yet to show up in consumer prices, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s key inflation measure, increased just 0.1% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.1%. The monthly reading was in line with the Dow Jones consensus forecast while the annual level was 0.1 percentage point lower.

Excluding food and energy, the core reading that tends to get even greater focus from Fed policymakers showed readings of 0.1% and 2.5%, against respective estimates of 0.1% and 2.6%.

Consumer spending, though, slowed sharply for the month, posting just a 0.2% increase, in line with the consensus but slower than the 0.7% rate in March. A more cautious consumer mood also was reflected in the personal savings rate, which jumped to 4.9%, up from 0.6 percentage point in March to the highest level in nearly a year.

Personal income surged 0.8%, a slight increase from the prior month but well ahead of the forecast for 0.3%.

Markets showed little reaction to the news, with stock futures continuing to point lower and Treasury yields mixed.

People shop at a grocery store in Brooklyn on May 13, 2025 in New York City.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

Trump has been pushing the Fed to lower its key interest rate as inflation has continued to gravitate back to the central bank’s 2% target. However, policymakers have been hesitant to move as they await the longer-term impacts of the president’s trade policy.

On Thursday, Trump and Fed Chair Jerome Powell held their first face-to-face meeting since the president started his second term. However, a Fed statement indicated the future path of monetary policy was not discussed and stressed that decisions would be made free of political considerations.

Trump slapped across-the-board 10% duties on all U.S. imports, part of an effort to even out a trading landscape in which the U.S. ran a record $140.5 billion deficit in March. In addition to the general tariffs, Trump launched selective reciprocal tariffs much higher than the 10% general charge.

Since then, though, Trump has backed off the more severe tariffs in favor of a 90-day negotiating period with the affected countries. Earlier this week, an international court struck down the tariffs, saying Trump exceeded his authority and didn’t prove that national security was threatened by the trade issues.

Then in the latest installment of the drama, an appeals court allowed a White House effort for a temporary stay of the order from the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Economists worry that tariffs could spark another round of inflation, though the historical record shows that their impact is often minimal.

At their policy meeting earlier this month, Fed officials also expressed worry about potential tariff inflation, particularly at a time when concerns are rising about the labor market. Higher prices and slower economic growth can yield stagflation, a phenomenon the U.S. hasn’t seen since the early 1980s.

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German inflation May 2025

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19 May 2025, Berlin: Apricots are sold at a greengrocer for 7.98 euros per kilogram. Grapes and papaya are also on offer.

Photo by Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images

Germany’s annual inflation hit 2.1% in May approaching the European Central Bank’s 2% target but coming in slightly hotter than analyst estimates, preliminary data from statistics office Destatis showed Friday.

The print compares with a 2.2% reading in April and with a Reuters projection of 2%.

The print is harmonized across the euro zone for comparability.

So-called core inflation, which strips out more volatile food and energy prices, dipped slightly from April’s 2.8% to 2.9% in May. The closely watched services print meanwhile eased sharply, coming in at 3.4% compared to 3.9% in the previous month.

Energy prices fell markedly for the second month in a row, tumbling by 4.6% in May.

Germany’s consumer price index has been closing in on the European Central Bank’s 2% target over recent months, in a positive signal amid ongoing uncertainty about the economic outlook for Europe’s largest economy.

Domestic and global issues have mired expectations for Germany’s financial future.

One the one hand, U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs could damage economic growth, given Germany’s status as an export-reliant country, though the potential impact of such duties on inflation remains unclear. But frequent policy shifts and developments have been muddying the picture.

On the other hand, Germany’s newly minted government is starting to get to work and has made the economy a top priority. Questions linger about when and to what extent the new Berlin administration’s policy plans might be realized.

The ECB is set to make its next interest rate decision on June 5, with traders last pricing in an over 96% chance of a quarter point interest rate reduction, according to LSEG data. Back in April, the central bank had cut its deposit facility rate by 25 basis points to 2.25%.

This is a breaking news story, please check back for updates.

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