All is not quiet on the inflation front. Commodity prices and capacity constraints still pose some inflation risks. |
all the pieces of evidence, all the statements that have been reviewed, all the witnesses that have been spoken to. |
As far as the Fed goes, it really isn't inflation on the ground that's a concern, it's inflation down the road. For a very long time, they've offset that with global concerns, but there doesn't appear to be any more world crises to worry about. |
But against the backdrop of improvements in commodity prices, the fact the Canadian dollar has been rallying and the long end of the market had already priced it in, they thought, 'Listen, our rates should be below U.S. rates. Our inflation is lower and we're well behind in the economic cycle.' |
Claims are pointing to firm, if not firming, conditions in the labor market. Corporate profits are just huge and businesses are in a position to expand. |
Consumers may be wobbly, owing to high energy prices, a vulnerable housing sector and increasingly uncertain medical and pension benefits, but there is nothing like the whiff of solid job growth to keep them on their feet. |
Despite the fact that energy prices are creeping up and housing continues to crumble, surveys suggest job gains are providing an offset for confidence. The potential is there for consumer spending to remain resilient. |
Do they really want to end the party? Of course not, ... They want to tone the party down before something gets broken or damaged, or worse, before someone gets hurt. It's similar to a marathon: if you pace yourself properly you can get to the end without overexertion. That is what the Fed is trying to do here. |
Exports should find further support from the pickup in global economic growth. |
Factory activity likely cooled slightly in December, but remains robust. |
I think a lot of people's perceptions are still affected by the bubble years. If you take away that four-year period when the unemployment rate was lower, you have to go back some 32 years to find an unemployment rate lower than it is right now. |
I'd thought they wouldn't want to sort of venture there again, given that all is not perfect on the commodity price front, |
If it's the case that certain kinds of trade are not done with Cuba right now because they're in U.S. dollars, then that's fine -- changing to the euro might help that, ... If it's a case where using euros to conduct more liberal trade with Europe, then that's certainly of benefit, as well. |
If it's the case that certain kinds of trade are not done with Cuba right now because they're in U.S. dollars, then that's fine -- changing to the euro might help that. If it's a case where using euros to conduct more liberal trade with Europe, then that's certainly of benefit, as well. |
Inflation is not a problem right now; that is not really what the Fed is paying attention to. |