U.S. December PPI rises only modestly, increase below expectations

TechFlow news, January 14 — According to Jinshi News, U.S. December PPI data showed a modest increase, which is unlikely to alter the view that the Federal Reserve will not cut interest rates again before the second half of the year due to strong labor market performance. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday that the PPI rose 0.2% last month, below economists' expectations of a 0.3% rise. On a year-on-year basis, PPI increased by 3.3%, following a 3.0% rise in November. The surge in annual figures reflects price declines from the previous year, particularly in energy products, which have now dropped out of the calculation. Currently, at least one Wall Street institution (Bank of America) believes the Fed's easing cycle has already ended. Goldman Sachs now expects two rate cuts this year—in June and December—down from its previous forecast of three.