Fed’s preferred inflation gauge highlights holiday-shortened trading week: What to know this week

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Stocks drifted higher leading into the shortened trading week that includes the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained nearly 2% for the week while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) added over 1.5%.

In the week ahead, a fresh reading on the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, will highlight the economic calendar. Updates on third quarter economic growth and housing activity are also on the schedule.

In corporate news, quarterly results from Zoom (ZM), Dell (DELL), Best Buy (BBY), CrowdStrike (CRWD), and Macy’s (M) are likely to catch investor attention.

Markets will be closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving, and Friday’s trading session will end early at 1 p.m. ET.

Recent sticky inflation readings have raised questions about whether the Fed will cut interest rates in December and how much the central bank will lower rates over the next year.

Earlier this month, the “core” Consumer Price Index (CPI), which strips out the more volatile costs of food and gas, showed prices increased 3.3% in October for the third consecutive month. Meanwhile, the “core” Producer Price Index (PPI) revealed prices increased by 3.1% in October, up from 2.8% the month prior and above economist expectations for a 3% increase.

On Wednesday, Federal Reserve governor Michelle Bowman expressed concern that the Fed’s progress toward 2% inflation has “stalled” and the central bank should proceed “cautiously” when lowering interest rates.

“We have seen considerable progress in lowering inflation since early 2023, but progress seems to have stalled in recent months,” Bowman said in a speech at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches.

Read more: Jobs, inflation, and the Fed: How they’re all related

Economists expect more signs of that stalling in Wednesday’s Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) release. Economists expect annual “core” PCE — which excludes the volatile categories of food and energy — to have clocked in at 2.8% in October, up from the 2.7% seen in September. Over the prior month, economists project “core” PCE at 0.3%, unchanged from September.

Bank of America Securities US economist Stephen Juneau wrote in a research note that a print in line with expectations will “certainly lead Fed participants to reassess their inflation and policy outlook.”

“That said,” he added, “we still expect the Fed to cut rates by 25bp in December, but the risk appears to be tilting towards a shallower cutting cycle given resilient activity and stubborn inflation.”

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