NY Fed: US Business, Consumers Bore 90% of Trump Tariffs Cost

www.nbcnews.com

... The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the price of housing "was the largest factor" in the increase for the month, rising 0.2%. The same went for the "food at home" category, which tracks grocery prices.

The price of energy was among the biggest drops in January, falling 1.5%. ...

There are some signs of significant tariff pass through to consumers, however, as many economists feared.

The price of laundry equipment and an index that tracks "other appliances" jumped 2.6% just from December to January.

Other indexes that rose sharply from month to month include those tracking the price of appliances overall, which rose 1.3%.

Computers rose 3.1%, floor coverings jumped 3.2%, home furniture popped 1% and boys' apparel increased 2.4%.

The price of watches increased by 2.9% from month to month, and the reading that tracks video and audio equipment, including televisions, increased by 2.2%.

"You start to see some of the tariffs creep into some of the prices ... and you see some sellers are deciding that they're passing on those higher costs to consumers in the form of higher prices," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said on CNBC in mid-January. "I think you're starting to see some more of that impact." ...

@#4 ... The computers my company purchase have nearly doubled in price over the past 12 months. A year ago we were spending about $670 per system. Our vendor recently informed they are increasing the price on that same system to $1200. ...

My guess is that a good portion of that increase is due to the memory price increase as AI datacenters gobble up memory chips.

Memory price explosion triggers PC buying spree
www.theregister.com

... Exploding memory prices are pushing corporate buyers to fast-track PC purchases before costs climb further.

DRAM and NAND have already soared 80 to 90 percent since the final quarter of 2025, as The Register recently reported, and further bill shocks are forecast as the year progresses. ...

A similar effect was seen early last year when a tariff threat from the Trump administration caused a spike in trade as resellers and buyers alike tried to buy up boxes and get them through customs before the cost of imports jumped.

The memory supply shortage and the rising cost situation is "unprecedented," said Lenovo chief Yang Yuanqing, speaking on an analyst call to discuss its earnings.

"DRAM cost increased by 40 to 50 percent last quarter, but the current quarter versus last quarter almost doubled again, even with the contract price. So this structural imbalance between supply and demand is not simply a short-term fluctuation. It's likely to have a prolonged impact on the industry throughout this year," he stated. ...