On-consensus inflation print puts Fed on course toward rate “skip”
US consumer inflation slowed as expected last month, giving the Federal Reserve room to skip a rate hike at tomorrow’s meeting. According to data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning, the headline consumer price index rose 4 percent in May from the same period last year, up 0.1 percent on a month-over-month basis. This was slightly below the 4.1 percent and 0.1 percent consensus estimates among economists polled by the major data providers ahead of the release. With gasoline prices tumbling, energy costs slid 3.6 percent month-over-month, while the food index inched 0.2 percent higher. New vehicle prices fell -0.2...