最新通胀数据或令美联储本月维持利率不变

Group 1 - The core consumer price index (CPI) for December increased by 2.6% year-on-year, which is 0.1 percentage points lower than the market expectation of 2.7% [1][4] - The December CPI figure is consistent with the levels observed from September to November of the previous year and remains close to the Federal Reserve's 2% inflation target [1][4] - Housing price index rose by 0.4% month-on-month in December, which was the largest contributor to the inflation increase for that month [1][4] Group 2 - Core goods inflation rate remained stable at 1.4% in December, indicating a slow and uneven transmission of tariff impacts on prices [2][5] - There are no indications in the report that would prompt Federal Reserve decision-makers to end their current wait-and-see approach regarding interest rates [2][5] - Federal Reserve officials, including John Williams, expressed optimism about the U.S. economic growth outlook for 2026, expecting inflation to peak in the first half of the year and decline to slightly below 2.5% by year-end [2][5] Group 3 - Current interest rates are viewed as close to neutral, with no urgent need for further rate cuts, according to St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem [3][6] - Musalem emphasized that there are no clear signs of accelerating inflation, but inflationary stickiness may exceed expectations [3][7] - The ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell could add uncertainty to interest rate decisions [7][8]