Tag Archives: CPI

Hot, Hot, Hot

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So, prices were all Hot, Hot, Hot
Resulting from Trump’s Iran shot
But do not forget
The government’s debt
And spending, with what that has wrought

Meanwhile, Trump, to Beijing, has flown
As both sides seek a temperate zone
Where it is agreed
To what both sides need
And neither, the outcome, bemoan

For a change, Iran is not the lead story today in markets.  Instead, there is much angst over yesterday’s CPI reading, which was hotter than forecast, and much pontificating as to what will come from the summit between Presidents Trump and Xi that starts tonight in Beijing.  Let’s take inflation first.

The results showed the month-on-month readings for headline (0.6%) and core (0.4%) which translated into annual readings of 3.8% and 2.8% respectively.  I always turn to The Inflation Guy™, Mike Ashton, when trying to understand CPI readings and have linked here his description of the report and things driving it, which you should all read.  However, I will offer his conclusion here:

“Wrapping this up, the read is actually pretty easy. Inflation is not just in energy, but right now is fairly wide as the diffusion index shows. Some of that is related to energy…the price of diesel fuel affects trucking costs, which affects other goods prices…and some of it is related to the fact that wage growth is no longer slowing. Any way you look at it, as I said the read is pretty easy: the Fed obviously isn’t going to be tightening into an oil shock. But there is nothing here that gives them cover to ease into an oil shock either. Warsh inherits a pickle.”

I know the Fed targets Core PCE, not Core CPI, but I include the below chart of the latter to remind us all of just how far from their target the Fed has been for the past 5+ years.  Powell may have bitched about political pressure, but he received none during the Biden administration and he failed dismally then too.  Just sayin’.

Source: tradingeconomics.com

(One last thing I will note is that USDi, which I mentioned yesterday, will return 10.2% annualized during the month of June, on top of this month’s 12.6% return.  Folks, you really should own some.  You can mint it at www.usdicoin.com ).

We cannot be surprised that yields rose yesterday on the back of the CPI result with the 10-year rising a further 3bps right after the number and 4bps on the day.  This takes us to a 10bp rise in the past three sessions including this morning as per the below.

Source: tradingeconomics.com

It also is the highest yield since last summer and clearly is not moving in the direction the administration would like to see.  The thing is, now that we are several months into the Iran war and oil prices have been elevated since the beginning of March, we are going to see more pass through of price increases due to energy costs, at least until demand starts being destroyed.  That is always the market tension, rising prices force behavioral adjustment unless the central bank accommodates those prices by increasing money supply.  It is, of course, that action which helps drive generalized inflation as opposed to specific price increases.  Mr Warsh, who was confirmed as a Fed governor by the Senate yesterday and faces another vote today to become Fed Chair, although I expect that will be without fireworks either, will have has work cut out for him.

Moving on to the Beijing summit, the key to remember is that summits are where things are signed amid a ceremony, they are not events to negotiate details.  Secretary Bessent has been in Asia all week and he has met with Chinese Premier Le Hifeng, clearly discussing terms of what can be agreed.  One would expect that the focus will be on Iran and having China press Iran to come to an agreement, trade between the nations, especially in AI related technology and rare earth elements, and Taiwan.  I have no way of knowing what will be announced, but I’m confident Mr Trump wouldn’t be going if there wasn’t a deal of some sort already agreed.

So, let’s see how markets have behaved overnight.  Yesterday’s US session, which started out looking pretty awful, moderated throughout the day to wind up with fairly benign outcomes.  Weirdly, this led to some dramatic differences in Asia with some strong gainers (Korea +2.6%, Japan +0.85%, China +1.0%, Singapore +1.2%) and some serious laggards (Indonesia -2.0%, Taiwan -1.25%) with some lesser weakness (Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and HK).  I might argue that most investors were excited about the potential results of the summit, but if so, perhaps it implies a change in the US position regarding Taiwan, and that could well be a negative there.

In Europe, the picture is also mixed as Germany (+0.7%) is having a solid session on some solid earnings reports from the pharma sector, although France (-0.4%) is under pressure after the Unemployment Rate there jumped to 8.1%, its highest print in five years.

Source: tradingeconomics.com

Otherwise, the rest of Europe is mixed with little of note.  US futures at this hour (7:30) are also mixed with DJIA (-0.25%) lagging but the other two major indices showing gains of 0.25%.

While we discussed Treasuries above, looking elsewhere around the world, yields this morning in Europe are essentially unchanged, having risen on the back of the US CPI report yesterday.  However, overnight, JGBs saw yields rise 4bps on that inflation fear, and they have made yet another new 19-year high as per the below chart (dates are in European terms).

In the commodity markets this morning, oil is essentially unchanged as it is clear nobody knows how things will play out in Iran.  There have been numerous commentators competing to describe just how much oil has been missing from the market and how soon (June? July? September?) the infrastructure will crash and it will be a global depression.  But they keep having to push their timeline further out as the combination of more production outside the gulf plus the ingenuity of getting production there to other markets via trucks and trains, has mitigated the overall price risk.  Again, here in the US, there is no risk of a shortage of any type as we continue to export our net surplus of products.  I have not read about the blockade lately, but I think that speaks to the fact it must be effective because most articles wanted to describe it as a failure and not doing its job.  If Iranian oil is not getting to market, their financial troubles are growing apace which is the key pressure point.

As to the metals markets, given the lack of movement in oil, it should be no surprise that gold (-0.25%) is little changed as well.  However, something is changing here and that is silver (+1.0%) and copper (+2.0%) are both starting to distance themselves from the gold trade as both remain critical inputs into the electrification story.  A quick look at the chart below of the two elements shows how just in the past two days, silver has broken away from gold.

Source: tradingeconomics.com

Finally, the dollar is firmer again today, continuing to ignore the many calls for its demise.  But as we have seen in most other markets today, the magnitude of the movement is unimpressive.  So, DXY (+0.2%) is an excellent proxy for virtually the entire FX market this morning.

On the data front, today brings PPI (exp 0.5% M/M, 4.9% Y/Y) and core (0.3% M/m, 4.3% Y/Y) although with CPI already released, I doubt it will get much interest.  We also get the EIA oil inventory data which is looking for continued draws of roughly 6 million barrels across crude and products.  there are Fed speakers too, but when was the last time anyone listened to anything they had to say with interest?  Exactly.

It is shaping up to be a quiet session (famous last words) and I suspect all the news of note will come from Beijing tonight.

Good luck

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Fugacious

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For months the Fed had been mendacious
In calling inflation fugacious
But that view’s expired
And Jay has retired
The word that had been so fallacious

So, later this morning we’ll see
The reason that transitory
Is out on its ear
As it will be clear
Inflation’s not hyperbole

Chairman Powell must be chomping at the bit this morning as he awaits, along with the rest of us, the release of the November CPI data.  For us, it will be the latest data point to which the inflationistas will point and say, ‘see? I told you so.’  But, given the timing of the release, just days before the FOMC is scheduled to meet and therefore during the Fed’s self-imposed quiet period, whether the print is higher than the expected (0.7% M/M, 6.8% Y/Y) number or lower, no Fed speaker will be able to try to shape the discussion.  Instead, they will be left to the mercy of the punditry and the markets, something with which they have never been comfortable, at least not since Paul Volcker retired from the Fed.

Of course, they are not completely without capabilities as you can be sure the WSJ is going to run an article later this morning by Nick Timiraos, the current Fed Whisperer, which will be designed to explain the Chairman’s views without attribution.  However, given the recent history of the median forecast, which have consistently underestimated the rise in CPI (and PCE for that matter), it seems likely the official narrative will fall further behind the curve.  Speaking of the curve, looking at the Fed funds futures markets, expectations are for the first rate hike to come in either May or June of next year, which means if the Fed truly wants to finish QE before raising rates, current expectations for a doubling of the speed of tapering may be underestimating the pace.

We have also heard recently from former Fed officials, who clearly remain in contact with the current group, and virtually every one of these has forecast that the dot plot will show a median of two rate hikes next year with a chance of three and then another four in 2023 with the eventual neutral rate still anchored at 2.50%.  And yet, this quasi-official view remains at odds with all the other information we have regarding inflation expectations.  For instance, later today we see the University of Michigan stack of data which last month showed 1-year inflation expectations at 4.9% and the 5-10-year figure at 3.0%.  Since the Fed is one of the greatest champions of the inflation expectations theory (i.e. inflation can be self-fulfilling, so higher expectations lead to higher actual inflation), it would seem that if the dot plot does indicate long-term rates ought be centered around 2.50%, the Fed believes the neutral rate is negative in real terms.  Either that, or they are willing to dismiss data that doesn’t suit the narrative.  However, it is more difficult to understand how they are willing to dismiss the data they themselves compile, like the NY Fed’s Consumer Expectations survey which indicates 1-year inflation is expected at 5.7% and 3-year at 4.2%.

Ultimately, there is nothing that we have seen of late that indicates either inflation or inflation expectations are peaking.  In addition, inflation continues to be a major topic on Capitol Hill, so for now, it seems clear the Fed will continue to preen its hawkish feathers.  This speaks to the dollar resuming its upward trend and calls into question the ability of the equity markets to maintain their euphoria.  In fact, a reversal in equity markets will pose a very real conundrum for the Fed as to how to behave going forward; fight inflation or save the stock market.  You already know my view is they will opt for the latter.

Anyway, with all eyes set to be on the tape at 8:30, here’s what we have seen overnight.  After a late sell-off in the US, equity markets in Asia (Nikkei-1.0%, Hang Seng -1.1%, Shanghai -0.2%) all suffered although European bourses have managed to recoup early weakness and are essentially unchanged across the board as I type.  The only data of note has come from the UK, where October GDP rose a less than expected 0.1% pouring some more cold water on the BOE rate hike thesis for next week.  US futures, however, are trading higher at this hour, with all three major indices looking at gains of 0.3% or so.

The bond market is under modest pressure this morning, with yields edging higher in the US (+1.4bps) as well as Europe (Bunds +2.4bps, OATs +1.9bps, Gilts +2.8bps) as investors around the world continue to prepare for a higher interest rate environment.  Remember, just because the G10 central banks have been slow to tighten policy doesn’t mean that is true everywhere in the world.  For instance, Brazil just hiked rates by 150 bps to 9.25% and strongly hinted they would be raising them another 150bps in February given inflation there just printed at 10.74% this morning.  Mexico, too, has been steadily raising rates with another 25bps expected next week, and throughout Eastern Europe that has been the norm.  The point is that bond markets have every chance of remaining under pressure as long as inflation runs rampant.  In fact, that is exactly what should happen.

In the commodity world, early weakness in the oil price has been reversed with WTI (+1.1%) now firmly higher on the day.  NatGas (+1.3%) is also firmer although we are seeing much less movement from the metals and agricultural spaces with virtually all of these products withing 0.1% or so of yesterday’s closing levels.

As to the dollar, it is broadly firmer again this morning, albeit not by very much.  NZD (-0.25%) and JPY (-0.25%) are the laggards in the G10, although one is hard-pressed to come up with a rationale other than position adjustments ahead of the data release this morning.  In fact, that is true with all the G10 currencies, with movements other than those two of less than 0.2%.

The same cannot be said for the EMG space, where TRY (-1.05%) continues to slide as the combination of rampant inflation and a leadership that is seeking to cut interest rates as a means to fight it is likely to undermine the lira for the foreseeable future.  Thus far, TRY has not quite reached 14.00 to the dollar, up from 9.00 in mid-October.  But there is nothing to prevent USDTRY from trading up to 20 or higher as long as this policy mix continues.  Elsewhere, KRW (-0.6%) fell on the news that Covid infections grew at their fastest pace in a year and concerns over potential government actions to slow its spread.  Otherwise, weakness in PLN (-0.4%), INR (-0.35%) and CLP (-0.3%), for instance, all seem to revolve around expectations for tighter US monetary policy rather than local weakness.

In addition to the headline CPI discussed above, expectations are for core (+0.5% M/M, +4.9% Y/Y) and Michigan Sentiment is expected at 68.0.  Until the data is released, there should be very little in the way of movement.  Afterwards, though, I would look for the dollar to rally on higher than expected data and vice versa.  We shall see.

Good luck, good weekend and stay safe
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