CPI低于预期，美债利率反而上行？——美国2月CPI数据点评

Core Viewpoint - The overall CPI and core CPI in February were lower than expected, indicating a downward trend year-on-year and a weakening trend month-on-month [2][12] Group 1: February CPI Analysis - The CPI year-on-year decreased from 3% to 2.8%, while the core CPI fell from 3.3% to 3.1%, both below market expectations [2][12] - Month-on-month, the CPI increased by 0.2%, below the expected 0.3%, and the previous value of 0.5%; core CPI also rose by 0.2%, against an expectation of 0.3% and a prior value of 0.4% [2][12] - The proportion of CPI items with a year-on-year increase exceeding 2% rose from 40% to 41.4%, while the core CPI items increased from 44% to 48% [12] Group 2: Structural Characteristics of CPI Changes - Food prices saw a decrease in growth from 0.4% to 0.2%, contributing less to CPI growth, with the impact of rising egg prices offset by declines in other food categories [3][14] - Energy prices dropped from 1.1% to 0.2%, significantly reducing their contribution to CPI, with gasoline prices shifting from a 1.8% increase to a 0.9% decrease [3][15] - Core goods prices decreased from 0.3% to 0.2%, with the main improvement attributed to a slowdown in used car price increases [3][15] Group 3: Market Sentiment and Economic Outlook - Concerns about stagflation have eased, leading to a recovery in market risk appetite, as the CPI data alleviated fears of rising inflation [6][19] - The market's response to the CPI report included a slight increase in long-term U.S. Treasury yields and a rise in stock indices, indicating a shift towards expectations of economic stabilization [6][19] - The Federal futures market still anticipates three rate cuts this year, but the probability of a May rate cut has decreased from 41.3% to 31% [6][20] Group 4: CPI Forecast for the Year - The forecast for U.S. CPI remains unchanged, with core CPI expected to be around 3% and overall CPI at approximately 2.5% for the year [9][21] - Quarterly CPI projections are approximately 2.7%, 2.3%, 2.4%, and 2.5%, with core CPI expected to be 3.1%, 3.0%, 3.0%, and 2.9% respectively [9][21]