Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

US inflation figures are lower than Wall Street forecast - but there's pain ahead for UK

US inflation figures are lower than Wall Street forecast - but there's pain ahead for UK

Lower than expected US inflation figures are raising hopes interest rates may not need to be raised as aggressively in the future - but it is by no means clear whether inflation has peaked on this side of the Atlantic.
Today's dramatic US inflation figures raise hopes that the Federal Reserve is winning the fight against the monster.

Consumer price inflation in October came in at 7.7% on a year-on-year basis - lower than the 7.9% Wall Street had expected - and at 0.4% on a month-on-month basis which, again, was lower than the 0.6% that had been forecast.

This was a landmark in itself, since it is the first time since February this year that the headline rate of annual inflation has gone below 8%.

More important still are the so-called 'core' inflation numbers. This is the number that strips out volatile elements such as energy, food and tobacco and is relied on by the Fed as an accurate barometer of underlying inflationary pressures in the economy.

Here, too, the numbers were heading in the right direction.

On a year-on-year basis, core inflation came in at 6.3%, which was lower than the 6.5% expected. And, on a month-on-month basis, core inflation came in at 0.3% against the 0.5% that had been forecast on Wall Street.

The figures will raise hopes that the Fed will not have to raise US interest rates as aggressively in future as it has been.

The Fed chair, Jerome Powell, indicated last month that the Fed was even prepared to risk a US recession in order to bring inflation under control and the central bank has raised its main policy, Fed Funds, by 0.75% in each of its last four policy meetings.

The market reaction was instant. US stock futures rose, as did US Treasuries (US government IOUs), sending Treasury yields (which move in the opposite direction to the price) lower.

There was a similar reaction in Europe. The FTSE-100, which had been languishing in negative territory all morning, immediately reversed those losses to post a 1.5% gain. Yields on gilts - UK government bonds and the focus of so much attention lately - also fell.

On the currency markets, the prospect of the Fed going easier on interest rate rises from now on sent the dollar lower. Sterling is currently ahead by some 2% against the greenback and heading back up towards $1.16. The euro has also posted a gain of more than 1% against the greenback on the session.

Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management, said: "The first downside surprise in inflation in several months will inevitably be received by an equity market ovation.

"Not only is headline CPI back below its pre-Russia-Ukraine conflict level, but some details of the report suggest the long-awaited decline in inflation could now be underway.

"For now, however, despite both core and headline inflation easing, the best we can expect from the Fed is a downshift in the pace of tightening. A 0.5% hike, rather than 0.75%, in December is clearly on the cards but, until we have had a run of these types of CPI reports, a pause is still some way out.

"Let the market enjoy today, it still has another 100bps [1%] or so of tightening to commiserate."

Stuart Clark, portfolio manager at wealth manager Quilter, added: "Inflation in the US has once again fallen, giving some momentum to the idea that the worst is now behind us.

"The rate is lower than expectations and this will provide some relief to consumers and the wider market, however it is worth noting food and shelter is still increasing, so we're not completely out of the woods yet."

Those are points worth bearing in mind. At 7.7%, the headline rate of inflation remains significantly higher than anything most American households or businesses have experienced during the last four decades. The Fed is still going to have to carry on raising the cost of borrowing and not least because, as was shown by other figures published today, the US jobs market still remains immensely strong.

And on this side of the Atlantic, it is by no means clear that inflation has even peaked, as it appears to have in the US.

The headline CPI figure for September was 10.1% and it is unlikely to be any lower when the October figure is published nine days from now. The same can be said for the eurozone where, in October, headline CPI hit 10.7%.

So there is still a lot of pain to come for UK households and businesses.

That said, it is unalloyed good news that inflation in the US is starting to moderate, albeit remaining at a historically high rate.

So far as the fight against inflation goes, the US economy is not out of the tunnel yet, but the light at the end of it is hoving into view.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×