Wednesday, April 3, 2024
What do dieters have in common with the Federal Reserve?
If you've ever dieted, you may be familiar with the weight-loss plateau. Many people experience steady progress. The bathroom scale moves lower week by week – until it doesn't – and that can be discouraging.
The Federal Reserve has been trying to reduce inflation, and it has had significant success. Its actions are credited with bringing headline inflation from a peak of 9.1 percent in June 2022 to 3.2 percent in February 2024, as measured by the Consumer Price Index.
Looking back over the last few months, it seems as though inflation hit a plateau (and, perhaps, indulged in a bit of holiday excess).
- September 2023: 3.7 percent
- October 2023: 3.2 percent
- November 2023: 3.1 percent
- December 2023: 3.4 percent
- January 2024: 3.1 percent
- February 2024: 3.2 percent
However, the Fed is not discouraged.
After inflation data was released last week, Chair Jerome Powell to comment, "The report that came out this morning is pretty much in-line with our expectations. Our hand is a steady hand in this. We've been saying all through last year and this year, we're making progress…The economy is strong. We see very strong growth…That means we that don't need to be in a hurry to cut [rates]. It means we can wait and become more confident that, in fact, inflation is coming down to two percent on a sustainable basis."
United States stock markets were unfazed by the inflation news and delivered a stellar performance for the first quarter. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index experienced 22 record closes during the first three months of the year, reported Teresa Rivas of Barron's.
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