What they’re saying: In all of the current readings on inflation (CPI, PPI, and PCE), it's the month-over-month number that should be focused on versus the yearly comparison — which is largely irrelevant as inflation "fell through a trapdoor last year in March to June," Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist at National Securities, tells Axios.
The big picture: The pace of inflation, often a self-fulfilling prophecy, is top of mind for companies and consumers. Close to 200 companies in the S&P 500 talked about inflation during first-quarter earnings calls, and 77% of Americans are worried about it being too high.
What to watch: Inflation is one of investors’ top fears for the rest of the year.
- Fed chair Jerome Powell acknowledged last week that inflation has been higher than expected and revised the central bank's core PCE inflation forecast to 3.0% for the year, up from 2.2%. The overall inflation forecast was revised to rise to 3.4% for the year, up from 2.4%.
