In the US, inflation rose above expectations in April to 3.8% year-on-year, driven by increasing energy prices stemming from the Iran conflict. Rising fuel prices also increased transportation, food, and manufacturing costs, raising concerns about broader inflationary pressure on the economy.
According to the data, the average price of gasoline has risen from $3.14 last year to approximately $4.50. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has stated his support for temporarily suspending the federal gasoline tax to ease pressure on drivers.
Rising energy costs are said to weaken consumer spending, prompting markets to reprice expectations regarding the Fed’s interest rate policy. In the forecasting market, the probability of the Fed raising interest rates before July 2027 has risen to 53 percent. With approximately 49 days remaining until the next policy cycle, investors are reportedly divided on whether the Fed will act sooner than expected or prefer to wait longer.
On the other hand, it was noted that for the first time in almost three years, inflation has outpaced wage increases. In the last 12 months, consumer prices rose by 3.8 percent, while wage increases remained at 3.6 percent. This situation is said to be eroding the purchasing power of American workers.
Austan Goolsbee, a Federal Reserve official, also stated that the April CPI data was worse than expected. Goolsbee noted that the most negative aspect of the report was the strong performance of services inflation.
*This is not investment advice.