Stock Bulls Remain Optimistic As Data Indicates a Slowdown in Manufacturing Inflation
Sentiment has been mostly falling since the start of the year but consumer spending has not shown any signs of pullback.
Stock bulls remain extremely cautious but a bit more optimistic as data indicates a slowdown in manufacturing inflation. The Producer Price Index rose +11% year-over-year in April, higher than expected but a meaningful pullback from March’s +11.5%. Producer prices lead consumer prices, so the report is a good sign overall, though investors, as well as the Fed, will need to see a couple more months of declines before declaring that inflation is indeed cooling.
Economists also warn that goods inflation may be coming down because consumer demand is shifting more to services, meaning high prices could simply be moving from one part of the economy to another. The latest data shows services prices are rising at the fastest rate in three decades with airfare leading the way.
