The $450 Energy Tax Hitting Every Paycheck

Lucas and Luna dissect how the Iran war's energy price shock is quietly dragging down real wage gains for American workers. With average hourly earnings up just 0.5% in April but gas prices surging, they trace the 'energy tax' eating into every paycheck — and why the Fed's preferred PCE measure shows inflation stuck at 3.3%. They break down which industries are absorbing the hit and why the labor market's 'decent shape' might not last if energy keeps climbing. Plus, a look at how 215,000 initial jobless claims are ticking up as consumers pull back. Episode 22 of The Labor Market Podcast. #EnergyInflation #IranWar #RealWageGrowth #LaborMarket #FedPolicy #PCE #GasPrices #ConsumerSpending #UnemploymentClaims #PaycheckStrain #WageGrowth #Inflation #Economics #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TheLaborMarketPodcast #Podcast #EconomicData Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo