Fed’s Daly on CPI: Not a Victory Yet

San Francisco Fed President, Mary Daly, offered a measured response to yesterday’s US CPI release, stating that while the figures “came in largely as expected, and that is good news,” it does not signify a comprehensive victory over the ongoing inflation challenges. “It is not a data point that says victory is ours,” Daly warned.

Highlighting the nuanced nature of the current inflation landscape, Daly noted the decrease in goods inflation and indicated promising trends in housing. However, her main concern lies with core services inflation that excludes housing.

Despite the general trend of receding inflation, core services inflation remains stubborn. Daly emphasized, “We do need to see that come back to prepandemic levels if we’re going to be confident that we can get to 2% on a sustainable basis.”

Offering insight into Fed’s future strategy, Daly was cautious: “Whether we raise another time, or hold rates steady for a longer period — those things are yet to be determined.”

She stressed the importance of upcoming data before Fed’s next meeting, suggesting it would play a critical role in shaping decisions. “It would be premature to project what I think would happen because there’s a lot of information coming in between now and our next meeting” in September, she added.