Fed

The Rent Is Too Damn High!

As a result of the pandemic, the demand for single-family homes soared, and so did their prices. Rising mortgage rates last year clobbered affordability for first-time homebuyers, forcing them to rent. So tenant rent inflation soared from about 2.0% y/y in early 2021 to 8.6% in the CPI during January of this year (chart). Rising mortgage rates also reduced the supply of homes. Since many

Inflation Still Too High But Gliding Down

January’s CPI release today showed that inflation is continuing to moderate, though perhaps more slowly than it did during the second half of 2022. The headline and core CPI rose 6.4% y/y and 5.6% through January down from 6.5% and 5.7% during December (chart). The CPI for all consumer goods rose 4.5% y/y in January, down from 4.8% in December and

January's CPI Is Coming. Run For The Hills?

The big event this week will be January's CPI release on Tuesday. Bond yields rose and stock prices fell last week as investors started anticipating a bad print. The Cleveland Fed provides a daily model-based Inflation Nowcast. On February 10, it showed the headline and core indexes increasing 0.65% and 0.46% last month. These are high compared to the MarketWatch consensus of 0.4% and

Fed Chair Not Likely to Stir Things Up Tomorrow

Fed Chair Jerome Powell isn't likely to upset the financial markets tomorrow if he says what he said at his press conference last week. The word “disinflation” was uttered 11 times at Powell’s presser on February 1. He was the only one who mentioned the word at his presser. He repeatedly acknowledged that inflation was moderating but still had a ways to go before reaching the Fed’

Goldilocks, the Bears & Today's CPI