Is falling headline inflation driven by energy prices rather than underlying moderation?
Core argument: Headline CPI inflation fell to 3.0%, which Jason Furman attributes mostly to the large June 2022 reading dropping out and an almost certainly transitory 17% fall in energy prices over the past year.
The headline is CPI inflation fell to 3.0%. But mostly this is the huge June 2022 # dropping out & what is almost certainly a transitory 17% fall in energy prices over the last yr. But underneath the #s show moderation, with the lowest core reading of the inflationary period. Overall what is happening is that service price growth is gradually slowing--as was predictable and predicted given the lags in the shelter measure. And goods price growth which was unusually (and likely transitorily) high in recent months turned back down again. The collapsing of "supercore," which excludes food, energy, shelter, and used cars (the narrowest category BLS publishes) is even more dramatic. Overall, core PCE inflation is still running well above Fed's target. Economy is very strong. Interest rates are not that high & most of the relevant increases happened a while ago. The banking sector stabilized. Fiscal policy may be mildly expansionary. Fed should still do more.

