US PPI hits forecasts, feeding an appetite for the USD ahead of FOMC

US PPI hits forecasts, feeding an appetite for the USD ahead of FOMC

The start of the Fed’s two-day meeting gave new signs of the strength of inflationary pressures in the market, adding to speculation about a tightening of the monetary policy tone.

In November, the PPI index was 9.6% y/y, markedly higher than the expected 9.2% and 8.6% a month earlier. The PPI ex-energy and food accelerated to 7.7% y/y last month from 6.8% in October.

US PPI hits forecasts, feeding an appetite for the USD ahead of FOMC - 1

The latest data shows that inflationary pressures are no longer a problem of Oil and agriculture price spikes. It has spread across the economy, forcing the Fed to step up.

This bad news increased pressure on the US stock market before the opening of the regular session. However, it is positive news for the dollar, which managed to retreat from intraday lows against the euro, yen and franc.

US PPI hits forecasts, feeding an appetite for the USD ahead of FOMC - 2

The dollar index has been consolidating in a converging triangle since late November. The latest inflation data has a high chance of pushing it beyond consolidation without waiting for the official comments from the Fed tomorrow evening.

Alex Kuptsikevich

Alex Kuptsikevich

Financial market professional with 16-years' experience and Senior financial analyst at FxPro. Author of daily reviews on the impact of economic events with comments regularly featured in top international and Russian media. Covers fundamental analysis, global markets, foreign exchange market, gold, oil, cryptocurrencies.

Alex Kuptsikevich is a regular contributor to both digital and print media including CNBC, Forbes, Reuters, MarketWatch, BBC and Coindesk.