Bond Yields Plunge on Cooling Inflation – Fed Cuts and Stock Rally in Play?
The delayed September inflation report – pushed back by the U.S. government shutdown – turned out a bit cooler than expected, reaffirming the narrative that price pressures are easing. The Labor Department said headline CPI rose 0.3% in September (3.0% year-on-year), slightly under the 0.4%/3.1% that economists had forecast reuters.com. Core CPI (excluding food and energy) was up 3.0% YoY (vs 3.1% expected). Wall Street greeted the news calmly, since even at 3% inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% goal. What mattered more was that the softer reading bolsters confidence in near-term rate cuts: U.S. futures now fully price in