The ‘Sticky’ High Prices Unlikely to Come Down Any Time Soon

Americans struggling to adjust to inflation want to know when the rising costs of food, appliances and other necessities will come down. Yet prices for some items such as household furnishings and personal care products are “sticky,” economists say, and likely to stay high even when overall inflation levels off.

The prices of some items, such as gas, are flexible, rising and falling on a regular basis, albeit with some wider swings. The average price of a gallon of gas shot above $5 in June, falling back down to $3.76 this week, according to the AAA. Prices for some other items, such as rent, change more slowly, and mostly in one direction. And when those prices go up, they tend to stay up.