from Zero Hedge
One month ago, we discussed “The Most Important Question In Finance Today“, namely whether in the aftermath of the covid pandemic the world ends up with runaway inflation or price-crushing deflation. Today, Bank of America provides some additional perspective on what it calls the “inflation rollercoaster.”
Separating the inflation stories
As BofA notes, the pandemic has created significant disinflationary shock to the US economy, with the latest CPI report showing core inflation running at a meager 1.2% yoy clip and core PCE later this month likely to come in at 1.1%. That said, it is important to note that current inflation readings are suggesting conditions are much worse than they actually are. Indeed, most of the deceleration can be attributed to a handful of idiosyncratic components. The underlying trend is stickier and has slowed more modestly.