Markets Tell the Fed Its Finally Getting an Edge on Inflation
Traffic passes the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18.To get more news about https://www.wikifx.com, you can visit wikifx official website.
The $20 trillion U.S. Treasury market is giving the Federal Reserve a
thumbs-up for its efforts to revive inflation after the coronavirus
pandemic threatened to inflict a damaging bout of deflation on the U.S.
economy.
A surge in gold prices above $2,000 and ounce and a
weakening dollar have also focused attention on the outlook for
inflation. If investors are betting price increases will accelerate, the
hope is that consumers and companies spend enough for that to happen,
given inflation is still well below the Feds 2% target. That goal has
never been reached on a sustained basis since it was adopted in 2012.
But Fed officials are more worried about the economy running out of
steam than overheating. Theyre warning Congress about the dangers of
spending too little, not splurging too much.
There are already
signs that the pickup in inflation pricing wont continue to accelerate
at the same pace, and that means the Fed is likely to keep monetary
policy loose -- perhaps even looser than now -- for years to come in the
belief it can adjust if inflation suddenly surges.
The market
signals are “exactly what the Federal Open Market Committee should want
to see at this juncture when inflation expectations are too low and
policy space is limited,” Evercore ISI vice chairman Krishna Guha wrote
in a note to clients.
Ten-year breakeven rates –- which combine the yields on standard and
inflation-linked Treasuries into a measure of what bond markets expect
consumer prices to do -- have jumped to about 1.69%, from as low as
0.47% in March.
Actual consumer prices rose 1% in July from a year
ago, pushing core inflation to a four-month high of 1.6%. And consumer
expectations for inflation in three years time increased to 2.73%, the
most in more than a year.
“It is very premature to be concerned
about a significant increase in inflation,” Rosengren told Bloomberg
Television. He said its “critically important” for Congress to provide
more fiscal support for the economy.
The White House and
Democratic leaders are arguing over how much additional money is needed.
Key parts of the government rescue effort, like extra unemployment
benefits, have begun to expire –- a potential drag on demand, just as a
resurgent virus sets back efforts to reopen the economy.
The Wall