Inflation

Will June's CPI Inflation Rate Be the Peak?

Jul 12, 2022 1 min read paid

June’s CPI will be out tomorrow. Bloomberg is showing consensus estimates of up 1.1% m/m (8.8% y/y) for the headline and 0.6% m/m (5.8% y/y) for the core inflation rates. Both y/y estimates are up from May’s rates of 8.6% and 6.0%.

Ed Yardeni

Is the Bond Market Anticipating Peak Inflation?

Jul 11, 2022 1 min read

The 10-year US Treasury bond yield has recently stabilized around 3.00%. That calm reflects a remarkable increase in the comparable TIPS yield that has been offset by a drop in the expected-inflation component of the nominal yield. What's going on? Consider the following: (1) Until the past few weeks, the daily TIPS yield has been highly correlated with the monthly real bond yield, defined as the spread

Ed Yardeni

Gold Losing Its Shine

Jul 9, 2022 1 min read

Gold hasn't been a good hedge against inflation over the past highly inflationary year. That's not surprising since this precious metal's price is inversely correlated with the 10-year TIPS yield and with the trade-weighted dollar (charts below): (1) The TIPS yield fell to a record low of -1.19% on November 9, 2021. It then moved higher, especially this year, closing at 0.72%

Ed Yardeni

Goldilocks & the Fed

Jul 8, 2022 1 min read paid

Was today’s June employment release a Goldilocks report? Payroll employment rose 372,000, and wages increased 0.3%—not too hot, not too cold. The problem is that consumer prices have been rising faster than wages for the past year or so. As a result, the purchasing power of our Earned Income Proxy for private wages and salaries in personal income has been significantly eroded by higher prices (chart)

Ed Yardeni

US Remains Energy Independent

Jul 5, 2022 2 min read

In America we just celebrated our Independence Day. We should also celebrate that we've been energy independent since 2019. So why are gasoline prices so high? Consider the following: (1) The latest data show that during May, the US produced 19.6mbd of crude oil and petroleum products, while petroleum products supplied (a measure of total demand) was 19.7mbd. (2) US crude oil field production rose to

Ed Yardeni

Inflation Is Global & Local

Jul 1, 2022 2 min read

Inflation has soared around the world over the past year. At first, last spring, it was attributed to “transitory” supply-chain problems that have turned out not to be transitory but persistent. Then all last year, excessively stimulative US fiscal policy fueled a demand boom that worsened the global supply shock caused by the pandemic. Early this year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exacerbated energy and food inflation around the world.

Ed Yardeni

Oil Prices Might Be Peaking

Jun 24, 2022 2 min read

The best cure for high oil prices is high oil prices. They are boosting production, while weighing on demand. As a result, crude oil prices may be peaking, which would certainly help to cause overall inflation to peak. Consider the following recent developments: (1) US petroleum output rose to 19.4mbd during April, with crude oil field production rising to 11.9mbd, natural gas liquids at 5.5mbd, biofuels at

Ed Yardeni

The Best Cure for High Commodity Prices

Jun 20, 2022 1 min read paid

In the commodity pits, traders often say: "The best cure for high commodity prices is high commodity prices." That's because when a commodity price soars, it depresses demand for the commodity and stimulates the supply of it. History shows that an even better cure for high commodity prices is a recession. During the late phase of economic expansions, the economy tends to boom. That drives up

Ed Yardeni

Small Business Owners Depressed But Still Hiring

Jun 14, 2022 1 min read

Inflation is depressing, and it is depressing everyone—including consumers, business people, and investors in stocks and bonds. For example, consider May’s survey of small business owners conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB): (1) Owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months decreased four points to a net negative 54%, the lowest level recorded in the history of the 48-year-old survey! (2) Inflation was

Ed Yardeni

Uncle Sam Isn’t Santa Claus

Jun 12, 2022 1 min read

Following Friday’s CPI shocker, the financial media seem to have concluded that the Fed will have no choice but to raise the federal funds rate faster than planned to bring inflation down—causing a recession. The Fed is now expected to raise the federal funds rate on Wednesday by 75bps rather than 50bps. The two-year Treasury note soared 23bps on Friday to 3.06%, implying investor expectations that the

Ed Yardeni

Protracted Inflation

Jun 10, 2022 2 min read

Inflation is no longer transitory or persistent. It is protracted. The headline and core CPI inflation rates have yet to peak because rapidly rising energy prices continue to put upward pressure on the headline rate directly and on the core rate indirectly by boosting energy-related costs like transportation. The headline and core rates for May were 8.6% y/y and 6.0% y/y. Here are a few quick

Ed Yardeni

Quantitative Tightening Begins

Jun 5, 2022 1 min read paid

In recent conversations with our accounts, we have been hearing more concern about the Fed’s second round of quantitative tightening (QT2), which started this month. QT1, which lasted from October 1, 2017 to July 31, 2019, pared the Fed’s balance sheet by $675 billion. Under QT2, the Fed will reduce its balance sheet by running off maturing securities. From June through August, that will involve dropping its holdings

Ed Yardeni

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