On The Money: Why more Americans are worried about the economy

Reuters

21-02-2025

NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - This was originally published in the Reuters On the Money newsletter, where we share U.S. personal-finance tips and insights every other week. Sign up here to receive it for free.
How are you feeling financially these days?
According to new research from Reuters, more Americans are worried about the U.S. economy, prompted by concerns about tariffs.
The share of Americans who think the economy is on the wrong track rose to 53% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll from 43% in the January 24-26 poll.
And another survey shows that one in five Americans say they are purchasing more items than usual, reflecting heightened anxiety over potential price hikes and economic uncertainty. (Just writing this sentence takes me back to the early days of the COVID pandemic in March 2020, when supermarket shelves were bare.)
Tariffs tend to spark inflation because they raise the cost of imported goods. As a result, businesses either absorb the higher expenses or pass them on to consumers through price increases.
What are your thoughts about the economy and tariffs? Let me know at
And if you are stocking up on anything in particular right now – such as maple syrup from Canada or tequila from Mexico – I want to hear about it.
Why are eggs so expensive?
If you are scrambling to find a carton of eggs these days, you are not alone.
At my local Trader Joe's in Brooklyn, you could not find eggs last week.
Shoppers across the U.S. face record egg prices, opens new tab, as well as purchasing limits, opens new tab, due to a tightening supply chain of eggs exacerbated by the ongoing avian influenza outbreak, which resulted in the death of millions of chickens across the country.
Since the start of the bird flu outbreak in February 2022, more than 157 million, opens new tab birds in commercial and backyard flocks have been impacted by the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, as well as the less common H5N9. Millions of birds have been culled, opens new tab, leading to a shortage of eggs and driving up prices.
The latest monthly consumer price index showed that the average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, opens new tab, higher than the previous record of $4.82 set two years ago. At another grocery store closer to my home, a carton of organic eggs costs more than $14.
The average price of a dozen large eggs increased by more than 50% in the past year nationwide. There were even bigger price hikes in some metropolitan areas.
The rising cost of feed, particularly corn and soybeans, is also pushing egg prices higher. A severe drought in the Midwest, coupled with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, is leading to a global shortage of these commodities.
The cost of corn jumped by 20% in the past year, while soybean prices rose by more than 30%.
Earlier this month, thieves stole about 100,000 organic eggs from a wholesaler's warehouse in Pennsylvania, a haul worth more than $40,000 retail amid a national shortage that has caused prices to surge.
This Sunday I plan to head over to the local farmer's market early to buy a carton of eggs. I imagine the price will be high but at least they will be farm fresh.
What's your experience purchasing eggs lately? Write to me at
What I'm reading and watching
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Video of the week
After two years of underperformance, international equity funds started 2025 with strength. Todd Rosenbluth from VettaFi says investors are feeling more comfortable with prospects outside of America despite the threat of tariffs. Watch his interview here.
How to live with a roommate
Finding a roommate to offset housing costs seems like a logical move at a young age. But it turns out more older Americans are looking for roommates, too.
Some 6% of all live-in landlords who use the roommate-matching service SpareRoom, opens new tab are ages 65 and up and another 14% are ages 55-64, but these two age groups are the fastest-growing, according to Matt Hutchinson, director at, opens new tab SpareRoom.
I asked Hutchinson some questions about finding a roommate at a mature age.
This interview is edited and condensed.
Q. How is living with a roommate different as you age? What tips do you have for making it work?
A. This is certainly not true for everyone, but it can be the case that – as we get older – we grow more accustomed to our own way of living. It can be a daunting prospect to shake things up and share our living space with friends or strangers.
It's important to remember there's no such thing as the perfect roommate, just your perfect roommate. Some people want to socialize together, some want a purely financial relationship and separate lives and most want something in the middle!
Talking about that up front is always best. Similar expectations of what living together will be like are the simplest way to avoid issues once you actually do live together.
We asked a bunch of homeowners who'd rented out a room for their advice on how to find the best roommate. Here is their list of
It's interesting what people pick up on: Some judge potential roommates based on whether a person offers to take their shoes off at the front door or how well they get along with the dog.
Q. What is the best way to handle chores, bills, etc.?
A. Draw up a written agreement. In addition to rent, security deposit and insurance, it should also include house rules, opens new tab around things like guests, pets, noise, cleaning, smoking and use of shared spaces and facilities.
Here are our tips on approaching cleaning with roommates, opens new tab.
Similarly, bills can be a key sticking point. The same advice applies here: talk early and openly. Some homeowners will include bills with the rent, which can help their roommate budget better, others want to split the bills equally as they come in.
Here is our guide to talking to roommates about money, opens new tab.
A$K Lauren
Are you wondering if you should rent out your home? Do you need a life insurance policy? Send your personal finance questions to
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