Equites markets have been suffering from a losing streak as investors anxiously await consumer price data. Markets wobble ahead of US CPI data.
If the CPI which will be released at 8:30 am ET on Thursday continues to grow, the Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates again sharply to curb high and stubborn inflationary pressures, which will exacerbate an already weak world economy.
Minutes of the Fed's last meeting released on Wednesday showed some officials were considering slowing the pace of interest rate hikes, sparking a brief surge in stocks on Wall Street that quickly ended.
Any sign that prices remain elevated will send markets into sell mode.
Bloomberg's projection:
Thursday's consumer price index reading is expected to showa slight deceleration to 8.1%annually, reflecting a decline in gasoline prices. But the core reading that excludes food and energy is set to rise 6.5%from a year earlier, matching the rate seen in March that was the highest since 1982.
Why is the CPI date important?
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services, such as transportation, food, and medical care.
The CPI is one of the most frequently used statistics for identifying periods of inflation or deflation and greatly matters to the Federal Reserve's policy.
Quiz of Today:
Which statement of the Fed's steps is true?
A. Policymakers generally consider average inflation over longer periods of time.
B. The Fed must try to determine if an inflation development is likely to persist or not.
C. Policymakers examine a variety of "core" inflation measures to help identify inflation trends.
THEWIZARD : So much " THEORY " Only .... So what did the market do?
THEWIZARD :