Don't Worry, The Fed Says The Recent Jump In Inflation Is Transitory
Mike (Mish) Shedlock | Apr 29, 2021 01:09AM ET
The FOMC promised more easy money labeling the recent inflation jump as transitory.h2 Fed Will Remain Accommodative/h2
The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) left interest rate policy unchanged.
h2 Key FOMC Points/h2- Federal Reserve will use its full range of tools to support the U.S. economy.
- The COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous human and economic hardship across the United States and around the world. Amid progress on vaccinations and strong policy support, indicators of economic activity and employment have strengthened. The sectors most adversely affected by the pandemic remain weak but have shown improvement.
- Inflation has risen, largely reflecting transitory factors. Overall financial conditions remain accommodative, in part reflecting policy measures to support the economy and the flow of credit to U.S. households and businesses.
- The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. With inflation running persistently below this longer-run goal, the Committee will aim to achieve inflation moderately above 2 percent for some time so that inflation averages 2 percent over time and longer‑term inflation expectations remain well anchored at 2 percent.
- The Committee expects to maintain an accommodative stance of monetary policy until these outcomes are achieved.
The above snips are from the FOMC Press Release.
Inflation jumped as predicted, and so was the Fed comment about transitory.
h2 Reflections on Transitory/h2Inflation is Poised to Soar, 3% by June is "Almost Certain"
h2 What's Ahead For Year-Over-Year Consumer Price Inflation?/h2Expect the Word Transitory
If these spike projections are accurate, expect Powell and other members of the Fed to be howling the word transitory for weeks on end.
An even bigger jump in measured inflation is on the way.
I strongly disagree with Powell's assessment that inflation is low.
Indeed, accurately measured, and based on home prices, I believe inflation is well over 4%. I will have a better number once I crunch the latest Case-Shiller Home Price data.
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For now, note that as of Mar. 31, Home Prices Rise at Fastest Pace in 15 Years
h2 Hello Fed, Inflation is Rampant and Obvious/h2 h3 Transitory or Not?/h3Curiously, I agree with the Fed that the spike is indeed transitory. I am not the only one, but there are very few of us.
On Apr. 9, I commented Expect Inflation to Accelerate? Here's 8 Reasons to Expect Decelerating Inflation
In that post I quoted Lacy Hunt at Hoisington Management as follows.
h2 Transitory Jokes/h2"Contrary to the conventional wisdom, disinflation is more likely than accelerating inflation. Since prices deflated in the second quarter of 2020, the annual inflation rate will move transitorily higher. Once these base effects are exhausted, cyclical, structural, and monetary considerations suggest that the inflation rate will moderate lower by year end and will undershoot the Fed Reserve’s target of 2%. The inflationary psychosis that has gripped the bond market will fade away in the face of such persistent disinflation."
It is easy to make jokes about "transitory" but the disinflationary forces are huge.
In addition to the 6 factors Lacy noted, I added two. Then in subsequent posts I added more reasons including tax hikes and demographics.
h2 Historical Perspective on CPI Deflations: How Damaging are They?/h2A BIS Study show routine price deflation is a benefit. Central banks have not caught on.
In their attempts to fight routine consumer price deflation, while ignoring home prices and obvious speculation, central bankers create very destructive asset bubbles that eventually collapse, setting off what they should fear – asset bubble deflations.
h2 Nearly Everyone Looking the Wrong Way/h2Factor in poor demographics and guess where we are.
With nearly everyone looking for stronger inflation and higher bond yields please consider The Fed Wants to Stimulate Bank Lending, Charts Show the Fed Failed
h2 The Fed Says "Money Doesn't Affect Inflation" Others Say "It's the Money Stupid"/h2Damn the bubbles and full speed ahead with accommodative policies as the Fed actually says "Money Doesn't Affect Inflation".
The Fed sponsored more bubbles that will burst and bursting bubbles combined with poor demographics are hardly inflationary.
h2 Yes, It's transitory! /h2The above discussion pertains to CPI measures of inflation not monetary inflation which is 100% certain to continue.
That said, the demographic forces impacting prices coupled with Biden's tax hikes (something will pass) are indeed price deflationary as would be declining asset valuations.
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