Headline CPI rose 0.4% MoM (above +0.3% exp) for the biggest jump since Feb 2013 but sadly at the same time, price-adjusted hourly wages slid 0.1% in April.
Following a small drop in March, from 8 year highs, Core (ex food and energy) Consumer Prices rose 2.1% YoY (as expected) abesent the effect of Gasoline's huge 8.1% MoM surge.
Of course this is probably transitory but we note that rent inflation remains at 3.7% YoY – its highest since 2008 and definitively not transitory.
And as the breakdown shows, energy and gasoline price soared in April – so are higher oil prices good or bad again?
The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in April after increasing 0.1 percent in March. The shelter index rose 0.3 percent in April following a 0.2 percent rise the prior month. The indexes for rent and for owners' equivalent rent both increased 0.3 percent, while the index for lodging away from home declined for the second straight month, falling 0.4 percent. The medical care index rose 0.3 percent in April, with the index for prescription drugs rising 0.7 percent and the hospital services index advancing 0.3 percent, but the physicians' services index declining 0.1 percent. The motor vehicle insurance index rose 1.2 percent in April, and the index for airline fares advanced 1.1 percent after declining in March. The recreation index rose 0.3 percent in April, as did the index for education, and the indexes for alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and personal care all posted slight increases.
Gas prices according to CPI data, are up over 20% in the last 2 months – the biggest spike since June 2009…
In contrast, the index for household furnishings and operations declined 0.4 percent in April, its largest decline since April 2010. The indexes for apparel, for new vehicles, and for used cars and trucks also fell in April, each declining 0.3 percent. The index for communication declined as well, falling 0.2 percent.
Charts: Bloomberg
via http://ift.tt/1smmcqk Tyler Durden