海外宏观策略周报：全球背景下，美国或处于低通胀前沿-20260119

US Macro - The CPI rose by 0.3% in December, meeting expectations, with a year-on-year increase of 2.7%, unchanged from November. The core CPI increased by 2.6%, slightly below the expected 2.7% [6][28] - The overall CPI increase was primarily driven by food prices, which rose by 0.7% in December, marking the largest increase since 2022. Energy prices also saw a slight increase, but gasoline and fuel prices declined [6][8] - The US is likely at the forefront of low inflation globally, with core inflation remaining below the Fed's 2% target for the second consecutive month and lower than the average in most developed markets [7][35] - Tariff-related core goods inflation has shown a clear cooling trend since peaking in September 2025, indicating that the impact of tariffs on inflation has passed its peak and continues to be lower than expected [7][35] - Service inflation remains dominant, with housing prices rising by 0.4% in December, the largest increase since August 2025, contributing significantly to the overall CPI [8][35] CPI and PCE Differences - The Federal Reserve's long-term inflation target is set at 2% annual growth in PCE, making it the primary benchmark for monetary policy, while CPI is more commonly referenced in short-term market reactions [30][18] - PCE has broader coverage than CPI, including government and employer-paid healthcare, which is not reflected in CPI, aligning better with GDP accounting [30][18] - The market typically focuses more on CPI due to its earlier release and historical familiarity, while the Fed uses PCE for long-term trends [21][30]