ECB On Thursday, Inflation On Friday

Check out the accompanying pdf and chart collection. Executive Summary: ECB hawks will be squawking at their meeting on Thursday. Fed hawks will be all over the critical US inflation data that comes out on Friday: The Employment Cost Index may suggest a peaking of wage inflation, and September’s PCED may reflect a declining headline rate (albeit rising core rate, as did September’s CPI, due to services inflation). Today, we examine the significance of each. … Also: We drill down to inflation within services industries, where the worst of it now roosts. … And: Once again, the ECB is on a mission and vowing to “do whatever it takes” to achieve it. This time, the goal is smothering Europe’s inflation fire even if GDP is dampened in the process.