Category: Inflation

DATA PREVIEW: INFLATION SPECTER REAPPEARS EVERYWHERE BUT THE DATA

–CPI on Wednesday; UMich on Friday WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The Consumer Price Index is reported on Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is not expected to exhibit any sudden acceleration, particularly since its driving force, the shelter index, has been moderating for five months. The consumer price measure plays a big role in […]

BANK OF ENGLAND RATE SETTER HINTS AT MPC DISAGREEMENT OVER NEGATIVE RATES

By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – A top Bank of England official suggested Friday that rate setters have yet to agree on the merits of implementing negative rates in the UK. “Different members of the MPC will have a different take” on the efficacy of sub-zero interest rates, said Dave Ramsden, a member of the […]

FED’S POWELL: PREMATURE TO TALK ABOUT EXIT FROM EASY MONETARY POLICY

By Steve Beckner –Vows Clear Communication Well Ahead of Any Tapering of QE–Downplays Concerns About Inflation, Asset Bubbles (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell showed some impatience with talk of “exiting” from the Fed’s exceptionally easy monetary policies Wednesday and vowed to continue providing support to the economic recovery “until the job is done.” […]

JAPAN DEC CPI DROPS FURTHER ON LOWER ENERGY COSTS; HOTEL FEE DROP EASES AMID PANDEMIC

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese consumer prices posted a slightly sharper drop in December as energy costs continued falling. But a spike in coronavirus cases later in the month appeared to have slowed the use of the government-financed hefty discounts on hotel and transport charges, data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication […]

FOMC TO STAND PAT IN SEEKING MORE INFLATION, EMPLOYMENT

–Fed Officials Agree in Principle; Only Time Will Tell On Implementation By Steve Beckner (MaceNews) – Important questions but only tentative answers abound as the Federal Reserve approaches its first monetary policy meeting of the new year in a mood to await further economic, financial and, yes, public health developments before changing its policy settings. […]

ECB SITS ON ITS HANDS. SAYS DECEMBER FORECASTS HOLD DESPITE LOCKDOWN

By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The European Central Bank left all policy instruments on hold at its latest rate-setting meeting, stressing the ECB’s most recent economic projections envisioned the risk of the strong Covid containment measures currently in place through much of Europe. Forecasts published in December “were predicated on lockdowns lasting through”the first […]

EUROZONE INFLATION STUCK IN THE RED AHEAD OF THURSDAY’S ECB MEETING

—HICP Falls by an Annual Rate of 0.3% in December, Marking the Fifth-Straight Decline By Laurie Laird  LONDON (MaceNews) — Eurozone inflation remained stubbornly in the red at the close of last year, with the HICP index slumping by an annual pace of 0.3%, according to data released by Eurostat on Wednesday.  That decline matches […]

FED’S BEIGE BK SEES MODEST EXPANSION AMID MIXED SIGNALS

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The surge in COVID-19 cases and “stricter containment measures” have produced mixed results for consumer spending while manufacturing has continued to recover despite weaker auto sales, the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book survey suggested Wednesday. Four districts – Kansas City, Philadelphia, St. Louis and New York – reported no improvement and “a growing […]

BOE RATE SETTER: UK CONTRACTION EXAGGERATED BY STATISTICAL ANOMALIES

— MPC Member Broadbent suggests inflation has fallen by less than feared By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The UK economic contraction may have been exaggerated by the statistical measurement of public services, according to a Bank of England official, who also downplayed sustained below-target inflation in Britain.  “Part of the drop in GDP reflects an […]