The US Federal Reserve must consider raising interest rates if inflation reads “hot” this week, a top central bank official said Monday, reflecting the pressure facing the world’s monetary policymakers as the US and Iran resume fighting.
“Sternly staring at inflation until it melts before our withering gaze is not an option,” governor Christopher Waller said. Another hike in energy prices keeps the prospect of a rate increase alive, ING Think analysts said.
But even if oil prices stay low, US inflation has proven sticky, in part because the AI boom has pushed up prices for electricity, computer software, and gadgets, Barclays wrote: “The irony is hard to miss,” given that “AI has been widely heralded as a disinflationary force.”