US Price Growth Cools Despite Ongoing Consumer Bacchanalia
The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure softened to a near-three-year low in December, but personal spending continued to rise, helping further ratify expectations for a soft landing in the US economy – while slightly complicating the outlook for rate cuts. Data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis this morning showed the core personal consumption expenditures index rising 0.2 percent in December from the prior month, bringing the three-month annualized pace down to 1.5 percent, well within the central bank’s target range. On a year over year basis, core price growth slowed to 2.9 percent from 3.2 percent prior, and...