Brace for another nasty inflation report in the week ahead. It will continue to infect corporate earnings and dominate actions by the Federal Reserve.
One prediction, by investment bank UBS, is that consumer inflation hit 8.5 percent in March. That would be a new 40-year high and double the rate of just a year ago. While the UBS forecast predicts Tuesday’s report will mark a peak for price hikes, it likely will harden expectations for faster and higher interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve in the months ahead.
The central bank has ratcheted up its rhetoric about rising rates and rapidly reducing its $9 trillion of U.S. government and mortgage-backed bonds purchased to help support the pandemic economy. Fed officials have used their clearest language yet that it has gotten serious about its fight against inflation. And that means a higher cost of borrowing.
