Updated
Updated · investinglive.com · Jun 25
Dallas Fed Trimmed Mean PCE Rises to 2.8% as Apple Price Hikes Signal Broader Cost Pressure
Updated
Updated · investinglive.com · Jun 25

Dallas Fed Trimmed Mean PCE Rises to 2.8% as Apple Price Hikes Signal Broader Cost Pressure

1 articles · Updated · investinglive.com · Jun 25

Summary

  • The Dallas Fed’s trimmed mean PCE index rose to 2.8% year over year in May from 2.4%, indicating underlying U.S. inflation accelerated rather than cooled toward the Fed’s target.
  • Broader PCE gauges were hotter still: headline PCE ran at 4.1% on a 12-month basis and 5.5% annualized over one month, while core PCE excluding food and energy was 3.4% year over year.
  • Apple’s significant product price increases tied to memory-chip costs point to a new inflation channel from the AI capital-spending boom, suggesting consumer goods using constrained components could get more expensive.
  • May’s biggest upward drivers were concentrated in gasoline, financial service charges, airfares and appliances, with gasoline up at a 121.3% annualized pace; tariffs, oil and strong markets were cited as key pressures.
  • Housing remained a concern, with most components rising 3% to 5% despite a sluggish home market, raising the risk of stickier inflation if the housing cycle turns higher.

Insights

Is the Fed's key inflation gauge hiding the true scale of the economic threat from rising prices?
Beyond product prices, is AI's massive energy demand the hidden driver that will keep inflation high?
As the AI boom drives up costs, are affordable consumer electronics becoming a thing of the past?