US core inflation is still unacceptably high for the Fed - and that means more pain for the economy, strategist Jim Bianco says
Business InsiderJun 09, 2023
The Facts
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly report, released Wednesday, US annual inflation slowed to 3% in June despite the Federal Reserve pausing rate hikes after ten consecutive increases.
Inflation rose to 9.1% in June 2022, the fastest annual rate since November 1981, but last month the Consumer Price Index (CPI) decreased for 12 consecutive months and reached its lowest rate since March 2021.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Pres. Biden's economic plan is working and the US economy is well on its way to tackling inflation in a way his Republican rivals could never manage. The GOP has tried to exploit the global inflation crisis to score cheap political points against the Biden administration, but their flimsy arguments are becoming weaker as inflation cools. Despite being dealt a poor economic hand, the White House is enforcing an effective strategy to address the current issues.
Republican narrative
It is curious that Pres. Biden is so obstinately standing by his failed economic agenda. The so-called "Bidenomics" plan has been an abject failure since he took office and Americans know it. The president is acting as if marginal improvements upon terrible statistics constitute a success, but the fact remains that inflation is still far too high, and the American people are the ones suffering.
