ECONOMY

Photo Credit: Mike Segar / Reuters

Drivers have enjoyed relief at the gas pump this summer compared with eye-popping prices a year ago, but an alarming trend has emerged in recent weeks: Prices are rising once again.

Over the past month, the average price of a gallon of gas has jumped more than 8%, surpassing $3.80, AAA data showed. In California, the state with the highest gas prices, an average gallon costs more than $5.

Photo Credit: Alex Slitz

U.S. employers posted fewer jobs in June, a sign that the red-hot demand for workers that has been a key feature of the post-pandemic economy is cooling a bit.

Job openings dropped to 9.6 million in June, the Labor Department said Tuesday, down slightly from the previous month but much lower than the 10.3 million in April and the fewest in more than two years. The government’s report also showed that the number of people who quit their jobs in June fell sharply to 3.8 million, from 4.1 million, another sign the job market is slowing.

Photo Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A rating agency downgraded U.S. credit for the second time in the nation's history on Tuesday, sounding an alarm with implications for the economy and everyday people's finances if U.S. debt continues to grow, analysts told ABC News.

Fitch Ratings lowered the country's credit rating to AA+ from AAA, citing the ballooning U.S. debt load and a weakening of governance. On top of that, Fitch expects the U.S. to enter a recession later this year, the agency said.

Photo Credit: Henny Ray Abrams

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the United States government's credit rating, citing rising debt at the federal, state, and local levels and a “steady deterioration in standards of governance” over the past two decades.

The rating was cut Tuesday one notch to AA+ from AAA, the highest possible rating. The new rating is still well into investment grade.

The decision illustrates one way that growing political polarization and repeated Washington standoffs over spending and taxes could end up costing U.S. taxpayers. A lower credit rating, over time, could raise borrowing costs for the U.S. government.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Blackwell

When viewed through a wide lens, renters across the U.S. finally appear to be getting some relief, thanks in part to the biggest apartment construction boom in decades.

Median rent rose just 0.5% in June, year over year, after falling in May for the first time since the pandemic hit the U.S. Some economists project U.S. rents will be down modestly this year after soaring nearly 25% over the past four years.

A closer look, however, shows the trend will likely be little comfort for many U.S. renters who’ve had to put an increasing share of their income toward their monthly payment. Renters in cities such as Cincinnati and Indianapolis are still getting hit with increases of 5% or more. Much of the new construction is located in just a few metro areas, and many of the new units are luxury apartments, which rent for well north of $2,000.