{"id":111888,"date":"2021-04-12T20:34:58","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T20:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=111888"},"modified":"2021-04-12T20:34:58","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T20:34:58","slug":"market-braces-for-key-inflation-report-tuesday-that-may-test-the-feds-mettle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/markets\/market-braces-for-key-inflation-report-tuesday-that-may-test-the-feds-mettle\/","title":{"rendered":"Market braces for key inflation report Tuesday that may test the Fed's mettle"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Inflation has become a main worry for the market, but the Fed has worked hard to tamp down those concerns.<\/li>\n
That makes every piece of inflaton data more important, including the March consumer price index, expected Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET.<\/li>\n
Headline CPI is expeced to return to the pace it was at in January, 2020, just before the pandemic began to spread across the U.S.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The pace of consumer inflation is likely to have returned to prepandemic levels in March, and it is expected to heat up even more in the next couple of months.<\/p>\n
Rising inflation is one of the biggest fears in the market, and if it gets too hot, it could corrode asset values, limit buying power and eat away at corporate margins.<\/p>\n
It is inevitable the reopening economy will generate some pick-up in inflation, with demand up sharply and supply chain issues resulting in shortages. Newly vaccinated consumers are also expected to resume traveling and other activities outside the home, which could create a temporary surge in services inflation.<\/p>\n
But the Fed and some economists argue this inflationary pick up will be temporary, meaning it should not derail the recovery or result in Fed rate hikes. That makes every new inflation report very important to markets, and that is the case with Tuesday's 8:30 a.m. release of March CPI.<\/p>\n
The March consumer price index is expected to show a moderate 0.2% increase in core inflation, excluding food and energy prices, according to economists polled by Dow Jones. On a year-over-year basis, that is a 1.5% pace, compared to 1.3% in February.<\/p>\n
March headline inflation is expected to increase by 0.5% or 2.5% year-over-year, up from 1.7% in February. By May, some economists expect headline inflation could be running at an year-over- year rate of 3.5% or more. The headline rate was last at 2.5% in January, 2020.<\/p>\n