US consumer price report: no good news

The US Department of Commerce has published a report on the level of consumer prices - for September. Stock markets were reacting lower

According to the Ministry of Commerce, retail sales in the United States stalled last month. Experts see the reason that buyers have become more cautious about discretionary purchases amid the worst inflationary environment in recent decades and rising interest rates.

Although the cost of total retail purchases in September remained virtually unchanged after an upward revision of 0.4% in August, this is not very good news. As the season of preparation for winter begins, as well as the usual growth of business activity for autumn, this should lead to an increase in spending by Americans, as it happens every year. From buying winter tires and Christmas gifts to repairing roofs – that year, the usual practice for northern latitudes of preparing for the cold seems to be going too sluggishly.

Excluding gasoline, retail sales increased by only 0.1% (the figures are not adjusted for inflation).

Moreover, seven of the 13 retail categories declined last month, including a drop in revenue from car dealers, furniture stores, sporting goods stores and electronics sellers. The cost of sales at gas stations fell by 1.4%, reflecting lower fuel prices, but now prices are rising.

It is still difficult to say to what extent Hurricane Ian, which devastated Florida and parts of South Carolina at the end of last month, affected the overall picture. It can be assumed that residents of the southern states preferred to save on restaurants and entertainment, but then they had to increase their stocks, preparing for a meeting with the elements.

Weaker retail sales data highlights that consumers are under increasing pressure due to rampant price pressures. With inflation showing few signs of slowing, many Americans still rely on credit cards and savings to keep up, and having splurged on essentials, there are few funds left for secondary purchases.

This situation confirms the assumption that the Federal Reserve is not going to stop and is likely to increase the pace of interest rate hikes in order to suppress demand in the economy. Unfortunately, sales data show that this is already happening in the real sector and without the participation of the Fed (although there is no failure in the volume of transactions in financial markets).

The average bill in building materials stores fell by 0.4% after a significant increase in the previous two months, despite preparations for the cold weather. This only highlights the impact of higher borrowing costs. Mortgage rates are currently the highest in the last two decades, forcing Americans to squeeze in spending.

There are also growing risks that a tougher policy will lead the US into recession at a time when consumers are already ready to increase costs, which could make the recession even more painful.

Overall, the current data highlighted the seriousness of the Fed's inflation conundrum: a key consumer price indicator jumped to a 40-year high last month. Inflation is far outpacing wage growth, and most of the growth was due to jumps in the cost of food, housing and medical care, i.e. the essential segment.

In addition to the fact that the retail sales report has not been adjusted to account for price increases, it only briefly reflects the costs of services where Americans transfer more of their dollars. A more complete picture of September household demand, which includes both spending on services and inflation-adjusted data, will be released later this month.

Sales of the so-called control group, which are used to calculate gross domestic product and exclude catering services, car dealers, building materials stores and gas stations, rose 0.4% in September after an upwardly revised 0.2% increase in the previous month. This fully indicates that Americans are stockpiling ahead of the winter months, accompanied by inflation. It is also likely that this year the preparation for the Christmas holidays will begin in October. This means that December will not justify the hopes of economists placed on it, upsetting the markets with low sales, as it was last year.