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Market Update

Inflation plateaus as commodities continue upward climb

Date:
September 20, 2021
  • Scott Balta headshot

    Authors

    Scott Balta

    Associate

    Corporates | Kennett Square, PA

Summary

August CPI data showed inflation declining slightly from its June 2021 peak, while in energy markets recent supply shocks continue to drive prices higher. Interest rates remain range bound as next week’s FOMC meeting approaches.

Inflation

The latest CPI reading showed a 5.3% year-over-year increase in prices, which is slightly lower than the prior month’s 5.4%. The leveling trend in YoY readings helped to alleviate fears of runaway inflation and provide empirical support for the Federal Reserve’s view that recent price increases are transitory. The 10-year Treasury Yield briefly dipped below 1.27% in response to the news but has since rebounded to over 1.30%, continuing the recent trend of rates being range-bound.

Gas prices on the rise

Despite the recent plateau in CPI, commodity markets have kept upward pressure on inflation forecasts for the rest of this year, as reduced supply and increased demand continue to drive up prices. This has been especially true for natural gas, where reserves are at historic lows, and benchmark indices in France and Germany have climbed almost 100% since the beginning of the year. The story is similar in the U.S., with NYMEX 1st H Hub also experiencing a precipitous climb.

Limited supply has also been a factor for crude oil, with inventories in the U.S. declining by about 6.4M barrels for the week of Sept. 10. The decline was in part a lingering consequence of recent inclement weather, as a significant percentage of U.S. Gulf producers impacted by Hurricane Ida remain offline.

(Related insight: “Using commodity collars to manage market volatility”)

Labor market

Initial jobless claims came in at 332k last Thursday, slightly higher than the 315k consensus and prior reading of 312k. Despite the miss, markets reacted somewhat positively to the news, as expiring unemployment benefits and expected claims related to Hurricane Ida had already dampened expectations. The employment picture in the United States will continue to be a key factor in the Fed’s decision-making going forward, especially if inflation stays at or below its recent 5.4% peak.

Corporates concerned with the threat of rising interest rates should keep an eye on headlines coming out of the FOMC meeting next week for the latest messaging from Powell and the other committee members.

The week ahead

Markets will be waiting on the FOMC announcement next week to assess the Fed’s latest views on tapering and the timing of future interest rate hikes. There is also some housing data on the agenda, with housing starts, existing home sales, and new home sales scattered throughout the week.

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Disclaimers

Chatham Hedging Advisors, LLC (CHA) is a subsidiary of Chatham Financial Corp. and provides hedge advisory, accounting and execution services related to swap transactions in the United States. CHA is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a commodity trading advisor and is a member of the National Futures Association (NFA); however, neither the CFTC nor the NFA have passed upon the merits of participating in any advisory services offered by CHA. For further information, please visit chathamfinancial.com/legal-notices.

Transactions in over-the-counter derivatives (or “swaps”) have significant risks, including, but not limited to, substantial risk of loss. You should consult your own business, legal, tax and accounting advisers with respect to proposed swap transaction and you should refrain from entering into any swap transaction unless you have fully understood the terms and risks of the transaction, including the extent of your potential risk of loss. This material has been prepared by a sales or trading employee or agent of Chatham Hedging Advisors and could be deemed a solicitation for entering into a derivatives transaction. This material is not a research report prepared by Chatham Hedging Advisors. If you are not an experienced user of the derivatives markets, capable of making independent trading decisions, then you should not rely solely on this communication in making trading decisions. All rights reserved.

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