Dec 112018
 

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By G. Steven Bray

The jobs report last week didn’t disappoint, but it didn’t excite either. Sure, the headline number of jobs created missed expectation, but the miss wasn’t huge by historical standards. Wage growth continued, albeit at a moderate pace. All in all the report did little to help bond markets decide whether the economy is slowing. Markets reacted as they’re wont to do in these situations – by shifting into sideways mode.

So, we keep looking for that source of market inspiration. Next up on Wed is the Consumer Price Index, the granddaddy of inflation reports. Since stoking inflation fears this summer, the report in recent months has suggested that inflation has waned once again. But like last week’s read on wage inflation, any uptick in consumer inflation could quickly erase the rate gains we’ve made since Thanksgiving.

If that report doesn’t give markets inspiration, next week’s Federal Reserve meeting might. Most analysts expect the Fed to raise short term interest rates for a fourth time this year, so doing that is unlikely to affect longer term rates like mortgage rates. Any effect is already baked in.

However, it’s what the Fed says after the meeting that probably will carry the most weight. Recent speeches by Fed governors have indicated the governors sense some risks to continued economic growth. If they translate those feelings into the post-meeting communication, rates could enter rally mode again. That said, I think a more likely outcome is an equivocal statement that leaves rate drifting through the end of the year absent something unexpected.

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