Inflation
The gap between PCE and CPI inflation will narrow within the next few months, mostly driven by core PCE inflation converging toward its trimmed mean.
The recent oil price shock reinforces our view that inflation will surprise to the upside during the next few months but fall rapidly in H2 2026.
Growth, inflation, and rate risk drive sector returns and fundamentals, but macro’s explanatory power is at multi-decade lows. Long/short industry-group baskets show the equity market has turned pessimistic about growth, a potential opportunity as the macro data firm. The market’s inflation view has climbed, a move that may be harder to fade given rising oil prices.
We introduce our Macro Regime Indicators (MRI), a framework for forecasting growth and inflation surprises in the US. The MRI on the economy shows no substantial mispricing in either growth or inflation over the next 12 months.
Core inflation will get close to the Fed’s 2% target by the end of this year.
The ECB is about to make its first policy mistake in the current cycle by being complacent about the downside risks to inflation. The confluence of base effects, a stronger euro, food and energy deflation, and rapid services disinflation will push headline inflation closer to 1% in the first half of the year. This significant undershoot will force the ECB to deliver reflationary cuts. Go long the September 2026 3-month Euribor futures and tactically reduce exposure to inflation-linked bonds in the Eurozone.
In our 2026 inflation outlook, we explain why 2026 will bring more disinflation, upside risks remain contained, and how to position in ILBs across major markets.
This morning’s CPI report signals that the worst of the tariff impact on inflation may already be in the rearview mirror.
Understanding asset performance across Growth and Inflation regimes helps investors construct and manage balanced portfolios. Our first G&I Catalog report examines Hedge Fund strategies. Global Macro and Managed Futures offer the strongest protection in Stagflation-like periods, when traditional assets typically struggle. Since 1998, these regimes have occurred less than 10% of the time—but that may not hold true going forward.
US inflation data continue to show no signs of price pressures beyond a near-term tariff effect.