Core Consumer Prices Hit New Record High - Up For 50th Straight Month

Following last month's 'deflationary' print (-0.1% MoM), analysts expected headline CPI to rise 0.2% MoM and they were spot on, shifting the YoY CPI print to 2.9% (from 3.0%) - the lowest since March 2021...

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

Goods deflation continues to drag overall CPI lower...

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

For context, Goods prices are down 1.9% YoY - the biggest deflationary impulse since 2004. Services prices continue to rise YoY but at the slowest pace since 2022...

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

The 3m and 6m annualized CPI rates continue to trend lower (with Energy a particularly volatile factor)....

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

Core CPI also rose 0.2% MoM (as expected), and the YoY rate of inflation slowed to 3.2% (from 3.3%) - the lowest since April 2021...

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

While Core CPI is slowing YoY, the Core goods deflation appears to have stalled...

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

However, that is the 50th straight month of MoM increases in Core CPI, and a record high...

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

Under the hood, used car prices fell 2.3% along with airline fares (-1.2%) while Car insurance costs jumped 1.2% and furniture prices rose 0.3%...

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

Perhaps more worrying is the fact that rent inflation has stopped falling...

  • July Shelter inflation up 0.33% MoM and up 5.05% YoY vs 5.16% in June

  • July Rent Inflation up 0.42% MoM and up 5.09% YoY vs 5.07% in June

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

Finally, the so-called SuperCore CPI rose 0.2% MoM (same as the rest), dragging the YoY down to 4.73% (still notably elevated)...

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

Transportation Services jumped notably MoM..

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

So, is this 'good' news or bad news?

Finally, money supply growth is reaccelerating...

core consumer prices hit new record high up for 50th straight month

Source: Bloomberg

Is this the trough for CPI?

Will The Fed really cut rates as rent inflation inflects higher for the first time since 2023?

Authored by Tyler Durden via ZeroHedge August 14th 2024