The PCE index could come in at the central bank’s much-vaunted target of 2% inflation.
The CPI shows consistently higher inflation than the PCE because it emphasizes different prices. Their gap has been wider than usual.
One reason? Savings rates are coming down from a high early in the pandemic, when many Americans were able to hold on to extra cash.
CPI and PCE can both seem to be out of step with consumers’ experience.
If interest rates fall, expect savings rates to do the same.
The January PCE report showed inflation easing further but still significant. Moderation in spending could also continue, analysts say.
It’s usually called a measure of wholesale prices, but it can also be a leading indicator that shows where consumer prices are headed.
Supermarkets and restaurants business relies on selling food. So why are prices rising more in the latter?
Rising costs for prescriptions and hospital services were felt in latest PCE report, though health inflation has been mild in the past year.
The consumer price index and the personal consumption expenditures price index measure the changing cost of different baskets of goods.