The Consumer Price Index blew past expectations in October as the “transitory” inflation narrative continues to unwind. CPI was up 0.9%. On an annual basis, the inflation rate was 6.2% compared with a 5.9% estimate. It was the highest annual CPI gain since 1990. The CPI stole the headlines, but the Producer Price Index also came in hotter than expected, up 8.6% on a year-on-year basis. After the PPI came out, Peter Schiff appeared on RT Boom Bust to talk about it.
He said double-barrel inflation is locked and loaded.
The October Consumer Price Index data came out this week. They expected it to come in hot. But not this hot. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap podcast, host Mike Maharrey digs into the CPI numbers, along with another inflation index that looks even worse, and he wonders out loud how anybody can still buy into this “transitory” inflation narrative.
The consumer price index was expected to come in hot yet again in October. It came in sizzling.
The actual CPI numbers for last month were even hotter than expected as “transitory” inflation remained well above 5% on an annual basis for the sixth straight month.
Despite government officials and central bankers continuing to peddle the “transitory” inflation narrative, the average American isn’t buying it. They feel the squeeze of rising prices in their wallets. And it’s the average American who is hurt particularly hard by the skyrocketing cost of living. Peter Schiff appeared on the Megyn Kelly show to talk about how inflation really hurts working and middle-class Americans.
American consumers aren’t buying the transitory inflation narrative.
Even after five straight months of annual CPI increases over 5%, Jerome Powell continues to insist inflation is “transitory” and the result of a “supply chain problem.” But according to the New York Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Expectations, people aren’t buying this story. They expect inflation to be running at 5.7% a year from now. And in three years, they still expect the inflation rate to be at 4.2%.
The September trade deficit smashed the record set just last June.
September 2021 charted a total trade deficit of -$80.9 billion. That was up a massive 11.2% over the August trade deficit of -$72.8 billion and crushed the previous June record of -$73.2 billion by over 10.5%.
The Federal Reserve wrapped up its FOMC meeting on Wednesday and finally announced the much-anticipated QE taper. The Fed will cut its bond-buying program by about $15 billion a month. But so what? In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap, host Mike Maharrey digs into the Fed announcement and raises some very important questions.
When we talk about “inflation,” most people immediately think about rising prices. That is indeed one of the effects of inflation. But that isn’t inflation itself. Properly defined, inflation is an increase in the money supply. In fact, that used to be the standard definition of inflation. Over time, the government has changed the definition. Today, pretty much everybody defines inflation as rising prices.
The Federal Reserve wrapped up its November FOMC meeting on Wednesday and finally did something other than talk. The central bank announced it will begin to taper its massive quantitative easing program.
The mainstream blames inflation on “supply chain bottlenecks.” But they have it completely backward. In reality, Federal Reserve-created inflation is causing the supply chain mess.
