Robert Brusca
Robert Brusca
aggressive closing effect immediate likely opportunity raise undo window
I look at this as the closing of a window of opportunity to raise rates. If they're more aggressive, they're more likely to have an immediate effect on people's psychology. If they're too aggressive, they can undo that. If they're not aggressive enough, they can't undo that.
energy inflation rising seems storm weathered
Inflation seems to have weathered the storm of rising energy prices.
fed inflation worried wrong
Inflation is very contained. It's not going anywhere. The Fed is little too worried about the wrong thing. I'm more worried about growth.
inflation
Inflation is very contained; it's not going anywhere.
across fed horizons inflation left months rising six waiting wondering
Inflation is rising in more sectors than it is falling. It is doing so across horizons of one month, six months and 12 months. We are left in all this wondering what the Fed is up to and what it is waiting for.
across areas broad concerned core declines fed growth inflation percent prices reason spectrum
Inflation decelerated across a broad spectrum of core CPI areas -- about 40 percent of prices in the core showed declines in their year-over-year growth rate. That's a big proportion. The Fed is concerned and has a reason to be concerned.
greenspan line price says stability telling
This is in line with what Mr. Greenspan has been telling us, which is that we have price stability for goods. But he says he doesn't think we have price stability for services.
batch consistent consumer early numbers reports says seen severe signal soft softness spending strength
It's really a soft batch of numbers today. Nothing says 'recession' or severe slowdown but there is a consistent signal of softness that permeates these reports and belies some of the strength in consumer spending that we have seen early in the year.
borrowing fed mistake
The Fed has never said this borrowing is a mistake and that this is a problem.
barely begun dry federal ink intent measured move says statement theme
The Federal Reserve, with the ink barely dry on its statement of intent to move in a measured pace, has begun a new theme that says 'measured' may be too slow.
economy economy-and-economics federal reserve soft spot talked
The Federal Reserve has talked about the economy being in a soft spot -- well, it's really in a soft spot.
consumer overall spending temper
The consumer still has life. It does temper the overall gain, but we're still going to see the consumer spending this quarter.
If you look at the Fed's own numbers,
fed retail sector strength
Clearly, this is more strength in the retail sector than the Fed would like to see.