by Douglas Cliggott | Feb 28, 2024 | Uncategorized
In January 2024, the consumer price index, excluding food and energy – a measure of so-called “core” inflation – was 3.87 percent higher that it was 12 months ago (blue line below). The current Fed funds interest rate, the Federal Reserve’s primary policy interest...
by Douglas Cliggott | Jan 18, 2024 | Uncategorized
Inflation in America is no longer a problem. That’s the story line that dominated financial markets during the final two months of 2023. Bond yields tumbled as their prices rose (see chart), and stocks enjoyed a powerful nine-week rally – an equal weighted S&P...
by Douglas Cliggott | Jan 25, 2023 | Uncategorized
There is a belief shared by U.S. monetary policy makers and many financial market participants that a meaningful economic slowdown in the next 12-to-18 months will “fix” the inflation problem in the United States. The word “transitory” may have been stricken from the...