Gentle Dip April’s inflation data offered a welcome downside surprise, with the Consumer Price Index rising less than investors had expected in April: 0.2% instead of 0.3%. That puts the year-over-year rate at 2.3%, the lowest since February 2021, when the economy was just beginning to grapple with the initial wave of pandemic-related price surges. …Read more
The Other Shoe Drops This week, the focus is on how the latest tariff shocks are impacting inflation and consumer sentiment. The release of April Consumer Price Index (CPI) data will be the main event, while the Producer Price Index (PPI) and import/export price data will play a supporting role. Together these reports will provide…Read more
No Preemptive Moves By looking at the Federal Reserve’s May meeting statement, you’d think not much had happened since the prior meeting. The statement noted that economic activity expanded at a solid pace, the unemployment rate had stabilized at a low level, and inflation remained somewhat elevated. With no official update to the central bank’s…Read more
