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US DATA: Core PCE Recent Trend Rates Seen Below Target

US DATA
  • Today’s monthly PCE report for August at 0830ET headlines the US docket.
  • Yesterday’s comprehensive revisions back to 2019 saw very little change in the recent quarterly pace of core PCE inflation (Q2 seen at 2.79 vs 2.77 prior, Q1 at 3.75% vs 3.74).
  • Barring some large changes in the monthly distribution of these quarters, it should have minimal impact on estimates for August. That means that consensus looks for a rounded 0.2% for core PCE inflation but it’s likely to be a ‘low’ 0.2 and with odds of it rounding lower.
  • We saw analyst estimates (post CPI, PPI and in case some explicitly import prices) for core PCE inflation average 0.16% M/M in August after 0.16% in July, whilst the Fed’s Waller estimates somewhere around 0.14% M/M. (Note that Nomura revised up their estimate from 0.135 to 0.16% after yesterday's revisions).
  • The above revisions saw Y/Y core PCE inflation revised up slightly back in Q2 from 2.65% to 2.73% Y/Y, which should help the August Y/Y round more firmly to 2.7%. Base effects are expected to keep this Y/Y rate relatively elevated into year-end (the median FOMC participant pencils in 2.6% for 4Q24, although that was down from 2.8% in the June SEP) but run rates are coming in meaningfully lower.
  • Prior to latest revisions, a 0.16% M/M increase for core PCE would see three-month inflation at just 1.8% annualized and a six-month rate of 2.4%. Note that Gov. Waller on CIBC last week somewhat cherry-picked a four-month average which he saw as on track for 1.8% annualized.
  • Should this be realized, it will likely dial up the odds that the Fed continues with a front-loaded cutting cycle in November (Fed Funds pricing 38bps), with even a mild further deterioration in labor data enough to cement it. There are however two NFP reports, one CPI/PPI round and not least the presidential election all to come before the Nov 7 FOMC decision.
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  • Today’s monthly PCE report for August at 0830ET headlines the US docket.
  • Yesterday’s comprehensive revisions back to 2019 saw very little change in the recent quarterly pace of core PCE inflation (Q2 seen at 2.79 vs 2.77 prior, Q1 at 3.75% vs 3.74).
  • Barring some large changes in the monthly distribution of these quarters, it should have minimal impact on estimates for August. That means that consensus looks for a rounded 0.2% for core PCE inflation but it’s likely to be a ‘low’ 0.2 and with odds of it rounding lower.
  • We saw analyst estimates (post CPI, PPI and in case some explicitly import prices) for core PCE inflation average 0.16% M/M in August after 0.16% in July, whilst the Fed’s Waller estimates somewhere around 0.14% M/M. (Note that Nomura revised up their estimate from 0.135 to 0.16% after yesterday's revisions).
  • The above revisions saw Y/Y core PCE inflation revised up slightly back in Q2 from 2.65% to 2.73% Y/Y, which should help the August Y/Y round more firmly to 2.7%. Base effects are expected to keep this Y/Y rate relatively elevated into year-end (the median FOMC participant pencils in 2.6% for 4Q24, although that was down from 2.8% in the June SEP) but run rates are coming in meaningfully lower.
  • Prior to latest revisions, a 0.16% M/M increase for core PCE would see three-month inflation at just 1.8% annualized and a six-month rate of 2.4%. Note that Gov. Waller on CIBC last week somewhat cherry-picked a four-month average which he saw as on track for 1.8% annualized.
  • Should this be realized, it will likely dial up the odds that the Fed continues with a front-loaded cutting cycle in November (Fed Funds pricing 38bps), with even a mild further deterioration in labor data enough to cement it. There are however two NFP reports, one CPI/PPI round and not least the presidential election all to come before the Nov 7 FOMC decision.