Economic Growth - The Guosen High-Frequency Macro Diffusion Index A turned positive this week, indicating improved economic growth momentum[1] - Index B showed a seasonal rebound, with a standardized increase of 0.43, outperforming historical averages[1] - Consumption and real estate sectors showed relative strength, while investment sector sentiment declined[1] Price Trends - Food prices increased by approximately 1.0% month-on-month, while non-food prices decreased by about 0.1%[2] - Overall CPI is expected to rise by 0.1% month-on-month, with a year-on-year decline to -0.3%[2] - PPI is projected to increase by 0.3% month-on-month, with a significant year-on-year recovery to -2.6%[2] Asset Price Predictions - Current domestic interest rates are low, while the Shanghai Composite Index is high, suggesting a potential upward movement in the ten-year government bond yield and a downward trend in the Shanghai Composite Index next week[1][19] - The predicted ten-year government bond yield for the week of August 22, 2025, is 2.48%, while the Shanghai Composite Index is expected to be 3,207.64[20]

Monetary Policy & Framework - The industry observes an odd timing for a major new framework announcement from the Fed, suggesting it should be addressed by the incoming chairman after consultation [1][2] - The industry notes the Fed's past errors leaned towards excessive transparency and forecasting, leading to iatrogenic volatility, and suggests fewer dot plots and forecasts [2][3] - The industry suggests a return to a more vague and oracular approach, similar to Volcker and Greenspan, given the current challenge of preventing high inflation expectations from becoming embedded [4][5] - The industry emphasizes the importance of symmetry with respect to inflation and learning from the previous framework's shortcomings [6] - The industry highlights the need for careful consideration of the management of the maturity structure of the federal debt, especially when the Treasury and the Fed have conflicting objectives [7] Inflation & Interest Rates - The industry acknowledges persistent inflation above the 2% target, yet markets anticipate a Fed rate cut in September [8] - The industry notes evidence of economic weakening is likely driving market expectations for a Fed rate ease [9] - The industry interprets the market's anticipation of a 25 basis point cut in September as a likelihood, with possibilities of 50 basis points or zero being equally likely [10] - The industry cautions against certainty about future actions, as data could push towards a 50 basis point cut or further delay [11] Economic & Geopolitical Considerations - The industry expresses surprise at the Treasury Secretary's prescriptive stance on monetary policy, suggesting a 175 basis point cut [12][13] - The industry suggests elevated deficit spending, data center spending, reduced trade deficits, and higher asset prices may be raising the net demand for funds, potentially increasing neutral interest rates [15] - The industry expresses disappointment that President Trump hasn't leveraged frozen Russian reserves to drive a just peace with Ukraine [17][18]

So, what are the real implications of this hotter than expected PPI report. So, CPI, it was a bit mixed. Uh, headline was better than expected, but core was a bit hotter.And people said, well, it was just better than feared. This one's a lot worse than feared. Does this take a 25 basis point cut off the table. Does it officially eliminate the idea of a 50 basis point cut where was kind of that became kind of a whisper conversation going on as well. Look, I think a 50 basis point cut was never really that mu ...

Bank station, it is the second week of August. It's time for the Bankless Weekly roll up. We got ETH just teasing us on that all-time high, David.It's not quite hit it yet. >> Just ripping through numbers, but not breaking alltime high. Well, because ETH was like $2,000 less two weeks ago.It's $1,000 a week for two weeks, >> but we're so close. Just using it. Also, Bitcoin did hit an all-time high stealing some of the glory.Uh, and then Tom Lee is the first to 1 million in ETH in his ETH treasury vehicle. O ...

Group 1 - The core viewpoint is that recent policies aimed at expanding domestic demand and boosting consumption are showing positive effects, leading to improvements in market supply and demand relationships and some positive price changes [1][2] - In July, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 0.4% month-on-month, reversing a previous decline of 0.1%, with industrial consumer goods prices rising by 0.5%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points from the previous month [1] - The Producer Price Index (PPI) decreased by 0.2% month-on-month in July, but the decline was narrowed by 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous month, marking the first contraction in the rate of decline since March [1] Group 2 - The prices of coal, steel, cement, photovoltaic products, and lithium battery manufacturing saw a reduction in month-on-month decline rates by 0.1 to 1.9 percentage points, contributing to a decrease in the downward pressure on PPI by 0.14 percentage points compared to the previous month [1] - Despite external uncertainties and competitive pressures in some domestic industries, the foundation for reasonable price recovery is being strengthened by more proactive macro policies and ongoing actions to boost consumption [2]

Economic Overview - The national economy is maintaining a steady and progressive development trend, with continuous growth in production and demand, and overall stability in employment and prices [1][3] Employment and Unemployment - The urban surveyed unemployment rate stands at 5.2%, consistent with the average value [3] Price Indices - The Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows a change of 0.0, indicating no inflation [3] - The Producer Price Index (PPI) has decreased by 3.6%, compared to a previous decrease of 2.9% [3]

Group 1 - The essence of the "anti-involution" policy is "correction" rather than "stimulation," aiming to reshape the logic of industrial competition [2][6] - The impact of the "anti-involution" policy on prices is structural and mild, with future price trends dependent on the strength of demand recovery and the pace of policy coordination [2][6] - The "anti-involution" policy aims to address low-price disorderly competition in certain sectors rather than driving up prices, as the fundamental factor determining prices remains supply and demand [2][3] Group 2 - Since the beginning of the year, signals of the "anti-involution" policy have been continuously reinforced, with various measures taken to address "involution-style" competition [3] - The revised Anti-Unfair Competition Law prohibits selling goods below cost, providing a legal basis for combating "involution-style" competition [3] - Recent data shows that the Producer Price Index (PPI) has maintained a low level of -3.6% year-on-year in July, but the month-on-month decline has narrowed, indicating some stabilization in industrial prices [4] Group 3 - The Consumer Price Index (CPI) remains weak overall, but the core CPI has rebounded for three consecutive months, benefiting from reduced price wars in the automotive and home appliance sectors [4] - The improvement in PPI is primarily seen in upstream raw materials and industrial products, which have a low direct correlation with consumer spending [5] - The transmission mechanism from PPI to CPI remains ineffective, as insufficient terminal consumer demand limits companies' pricing power [5]

Group 1 - The core point of the news is the significant impact of the July PPI data on market expectations regarding interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, leading to a shift in sentiment away from aggressive rate cuts [1][2] - The July PPI year-on-year rate increased to 3.3%, up from a previous value of 2.4%, and the month-on-month rate rose to 0.9%, compared to a previous value of 0.00% [1] - The PPI data has created uncertainty for the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions, with the probability of a 25 basis point cut in September dropping to around 85% from 100% [2] Group 2 - The communication from Federal Reserve officials before and after the PPI data release indicates a strategic effort to maintain policy flexibility and manage market expectations regarding rate cuts [3] - The remarks from San Francisco Fed President Daly and St. Louis Fed President Bullard suggest a cautious approach to potential rate cuts, with concerns about inflation pressures from tariffs [3] - The market reaction to the PPI data included a halt in the upward trend of U.S. stocks, a significant drop in gold prices, a decline in Bitcoin, and a sell-off in U.S. Treasuries, while the dollar index recovered its previous losses [3]

Inflation Data Analysis - Headline CPI came in below expectations at 27%, while core CPI, excluding food and energy, was higher than anticipated at 31% [1] - Markets focused on the headline CPI number, leading to an equities rally and a drop in 2-year yields [2] Monetary Policy Outlook - Weak unemployment data reported on August 1st raised concerns about disinflation [2] - Prior to the CPI release, Fed funds futures priced in an 82% chance of a 25 basis point cut at the September 17th FOMC meeting [3] - Post CPI release, the probability of a 25 basis point cut at the September 17th FOMC meeting surged past 90%, with markets pricing in 60 basis points of easing by the end of 2025 [3] - PPI data on August 14th and retail sales data on August 15th are expected to provide a clearer picture of the Fed's coming moves [3]

Inflation Analysis - The producer price index (PPI) increased significantly from approximately 23% to 33% year-over-year, a full percentage point increase, exceeding market expectations of 25% [3][4] - The consumer price index (CPI) saw a smaller increase, rising from 267% to about 273% [3] - PPI measures inflation upstream at the production or wholesale stage, while CPI measures it downstream at the consumer level [6][7] - While upstream prices are increasing, it remains to be seen if these costs will be passed on to consumers and reflected in CPI [8][9] - Food and beverage inflation remained relatively stable, while housing inflation decreased, masking increases in other categories such as medical care and recreation [17][18][19] - Housing inflation accounts for approximately two-thirds of overall CPI [20] Market Impact and Monetary Policy - The surge in PPI caused market sell-offs, particularly around 8:30 AM when the data was released [17][33] - Despite the PPI increase, the market still anticipates a rate cut in September, with approximately a 90% probability, although this was previously higher at 97% or 98% [23] - The report suggests that even with a rate cut, the long end of the yield curve may increase due to inflation concerns [24] - Cutting rates with rising inflation may not improve the housing market and could potentially worsen it [27] Consumer Behavior - Sales are declining at some stores like Chipotle, Cava, and Sweetgreen, indicating that consumers may be unwilling to pay higher prices [10][11][13][14] - Lower-end pizza chains are experiencing increased demand, suggesting consumers are seeking more affordable options [12][15]