Inflation and pricing
It was a relatively quiet week for the markets in terms of economic news. In the USA, investors focused on the mid-week release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) last Federal Open Market Committee meeting and Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, at the end of the week. These two events are crucial in indicating whether the Fed plans to lower the US benchmark rate at their September meeting.
In Canada, the biggest economic headline was the July Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report, which reveals whether inflation is rising or falling. Spoiler alert: it is still falling. 😊 But here is an important point—just because inflation is down does not mean prices are lower. It only means that the pace of price increases has slowed.