What Just Happened: What is CPI inflation, and why does it matter?

What just happened?

US Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation came in broadly as-expected in October, not delivering any nasty surprises to traders, but not delivering any good news, either. Headline and core CPI inflation remained unchanged through October on a monthly basis, printing at 0.2% and 0.3% MoM respectively. However, annualized core CPI continued to stick at 3.3% YoY, while headline CPI inflation actually accelerated on the tail end, rising to 2.6% YoY from the previous print of 2.4%.

Why does CPI inflation matter?

CPI inflation is a measure of the month-on-month change in consumer-level prices for a mixed basket of consumer goods that represents a significant cross-section of the overall consumption economy. While the CPI index lacks consumer price information for rural residents, measuring only the cost changes in urban goods, the CPI index as a broader measure of consumer inflation captures roughly 93% of the US population.

Since controlling inflation via interest rates is a full half of the Fed’s mandate (with the other half being stable employment, a feature unique to the Federal Reserve not shared by other central banks), CPI inflation is used by markets as a key method of estimating when the Fed will make changes to the Fed funds rate, and by how much. With inflation continuing to run above the Fed’s target levels, upticks in key inflation metrics makes it harder for the Fed to deliver rate cuts as fast or as furiously as investors would like to see.

What happens next?

With CPI inflation registering within market expectations, but not delivering any meaningful reductions in price growth, investors will be turning to the rest of the economic data docket for signs of weakness that might spur the Fed back into a faster pace of rate cuts heading into the end of the year. Labor market weakness has been earmarked as a likely ignition point for further higher-than-expected rate reductions. However, too far into the red on jobs data or other inflation metrics (like the Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index) could also spark fear of a widespread recession in the US economy, leaving investors in a challenging ‘Goldilocks’ position: markets are hoping for soft spots in the US economy to force the Fed to reduce interest rates, but a direct tip-over into recession will render rate cuts a moot point.