November’s producer price index (PPI) came in higher than expected, rising by 0.3% MoM and 7.4% YoY. ðĨ
The culprit this time? Wholesale vegetables…which saw a 38% surge. This caused the overall food index to rise 3.3%, which offset the 3.3% decline in energy costs.
Core PPI doubled the 0.2% MoM estimate at 0.4%, excluding food and energy. While the YoY rise of 6.2% is less than October’s 6.6% reading, inflation remains far too high for the Fed’s liking.
The news sent bond yields, which had been trending lower for a few weeks, higher. The Fed says they’re staying aggressive until inflation comes down meaningfully, and today’s reading was anything but that.
Meanwhile, China’s producer prices fell overseas in November as inflation cooled consumer demand. Weak activity and soft demand in the world’s second-largest economy remain a concern for investors. ð