May 15, 2024
Finance

Fed’s preferred inflation gauge logs lowest annual rise since March 2021


The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge logged its lowest annual increase since March 2021 in January, matching Wall Street forecasts, while monthly prices rose at the fastest rate in a year.

The core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, which strips out the costs of food and energy and is closely watched by the Federal Reserve, rose 2.8% over the prior year in January, the slowest annual increase since a 2.2% increase in March 2021.

Compared to the prior month, core PCE rose 0.4%, the most since January 2023 and an increase from the 0.1% increase seen in December.

Headline PCE, which includes all categories, logged a 2.4% increase over last year, a slowdown from last month’s 2.6% print.

The print comes at a crucial time in the inflation story after another reading on price increases, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), recently showed prices grew faster than expected in the month of January. The hotter-than-expected report sent stocks lower and prompted investors to shift their interest rate cut expectations.

Markets are now pricing in three interest rate cuts for 2024, in line with the Fed’s most recent forecast and down from a former consensus of six cuts seen back in December, per Bloomberg data. Before Thursday’s report, investors had placed a 58% chance on the first Fed interest rate cut coming in June.

The most recent minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January meeting showed most officials were concerned about the risks of “moving too quickly” when lowering interest rates. Largely, officials have expressed in recent commentary they want “greater confidence,” on inflation’s path downward.

TOPSHOT - US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference after a Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2024. Powell signaled Wednesday that an interest rate cut as soon as in March is unlikely, as the central bank remains data-dependent when mulling its next steps. Powell said the Fed's rate-setting committee plans to

US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference after a Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2024. (Photo by Julia Nikhinson / AFP) (Photo by JULIA NIKHINSON/AFP via Getty Images) (JULIA NIKHINSON via Getty Images)

Josh Schafer is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on X @_joshschafer.

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