Post-CPI Analysis – Thursday, May 10

Below is a summary of my post-CPI tweets. 

  • OK, 20 minutes to CPI. Let's get started.
  • Last month there was of course that talk about cell phones, and the jump in core did excite breakevens…a little. 10y breaks now at 2.18%, highest in 4 years. But, as I recently pointed out, You Haven't Missed It.
  • Consensus expectations this month are for 0.19 on core or a little softer. Y/Y will rise to 2.2% if core m/m is 0.13 or above. Outlier of 0.23 would move us to 2.3% and be a surprise to many.
  • Average over last 6 months is 2.56% rate. I saw a funny article saying ‘but that's due to cell phones.' Of course, the m/m rate is not due to cell phones dropping off from March of last year. Median CPI is at 2.48%. So this is not the new normal. It's the old normal.
  • No one is much more bullish than expecting an 0.2% every month…that's a 2.4% annually; most economists see that as something close to the high of sustainable inflation. But again, that's the old normal. It just seems new because it has been a LONG time since we've been higher.
  • They're wrong on that! Just not sure how soon this all comes through.
  • So last month, in addition to the bump in core services y/y (because of cell phones), core goods also moved to -0.3% from -0.5% and -0.7% the prior mo. The lagged weakness in the dollar, along with the rise in goods prices caused by trucker shortages, should be showing up here.
  • Lodging Away from Home took a big y/y jump last month, but it's a volatile category with a small weight. It's usually an excuse to people who expected something different on the month.
  • I continue to watch medical care, which is important in core services. Doctor's services still showing y/y inflation as of last report, but both Doctors Services and Hospital Services rose last mo.
  • 15 minutes until the number!
  • Buying in the interbank market for the monthly reset (for headline) is 250.68.
  • Very weak number. 0.10% on core CPI. y/y ticks up only slightly, to 2.12% from 2.11%.
  • Last 12. Surprising. Note that last April was 0.09% so might be some seasonal issue with April. Sometimes Easter plays havoc, and Easter was early. But that's usually more a Europe thing.
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