Report Industry Investment Rating No industry investment rating information is provided in the report. Core View - The internal structure of CPI (food and non - food items) has shown significant divergence in recent years, which has smoothed the CPI's volatility and made it difficult to determine the direction of CPI changes. The influence on CPI depends on the weight composition (2:8) and the volatility of food and non - food items [1][10][11]. - Monetary policy and the market should pay more attention to non - food price changes because non - food prices are more related to demand factors, while food prices are more related to supply factors [19][20][26]. Summary by Directory Why have the trends of food and non - food items differed in recent years? - Food prices are more affected by domestic supply and national security management factors. Since 2015, the correlation between Chinese and international food prices has weakened, indicating that China's food supply cycle is out of sync with the world's, likely due to China's efforts in ensuring food supply security [14][17]. - Non - food prices are still closely related to global demand cycles, and the correlation between China's non - food prices and international industrial raw material prices remains strong [17]. Which factor determines the rise and fall of CPI between food and non - food divergence? - The direction and trend of CPI changes depend on the weight composition (2:8) of food and non - food items in CPI and their volatility. Although non - food items have a higher weight, food items with larger volatility can also significantly affect CPI. For example, in August, the sharp decline in food prices led to a drop in CPI [18]. - Using overall CPI to judge supply - demand strength is challenging, especially when food and non - food trends diverge. It is better to conduct in - depth structural analysis [18]. Which type of factor in the structural divergence will monetary policy and the market pay more attention to? - Monetary policy focuses on non - food price changes because they better reflect economic demand. For example, during the so - called high - inflation period in the second half of 2019, the central bank maintained a moderately loose stance because the CPI increase was mainly driven by food prices [19][20]. - The interest rate market also pays more attention to non - food factors. The correlation between the 10 - year treasury bond rate and non - food price growth has increased since 2015, while the correlation with food price growth has decreased significantly [22][23][26].