US UoM Consumer Sentiment Index drops to 50.8 in April vs. 54.5 expected
- UoM Consumer Confidence Index came in below the market expectation in April.
- The USD Index stays deep in negative territory below 100.00.
Consumer confidence in the US continued to deteriorate in April, with the University of Michigan's (UoM) Consumer Sentiment Index dropping to 50.8 in the flash estimate from 57 in March. This reading came in worse than the market expectation of 54.5.
The underlying details of the report showed that the Current Conditions Index fell to 56.5 from 63.8 in the same period, while the Consumers Expectations Index worsened to 47.2 from 52.6.
The one-year inflation outlook component of the survey jumped to 6.7% from 5%, and the five-year inflation outlook edged higher to 4.4% from 4.1%.
The share of consumers expecting unemployment to rise in the year ahead rose to the highest since 2009, the UoM noted.
Market reaction
The US Dollar Index remains under heavy bearish pressure following this report and was last seen losing 1.3% on the day at 99.62.
Inflation FAQs
Inflation measures the rise in the price of a representative basket of goods and services. Headline inflation is usually expressed as a percentage change on a month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) basis. Core inflation excludes more volatile elements such as food and fuel which can fluctuate because of geopolitical and seasonal factors. Core inflation is the figure economists focus on and is the level targeted by central banks, which are mandated to keep inflation at a manageable level, usually around 2%.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices of a basket of goods and services over a period of time. It is usually expressed as a percentage change on a month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) basis. Core CPI is the figure targeted by central banks as it excludes volatile food and fuel inputs. When Core CPI rises above 2% it usually results in higher interest rates and vice versa when it falls below 2%. Since higher interest rates are positive for a currency, higher inflation usually results in a stronger currency. The opposite is true when inflation falls.
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, high inflation in a country pushes up the value of its currency and vice versa for lower inflation. This is because the central bank will normally raise interest rates to combat the higher inflation, which attract more global capital inflows from investors looking for a lucrative place to park their money.
Formerly, Gold was the asset investors turned to in times of high inflation because it preserved its value, and whilst investors will often still buy Gold for its safe-haven properties in times of extreme market turmoil, this is not the case most of the time. This is because when inflation is high, central banks will put up interest rates to combat it. Higher interest rates are negative for Gold because they increase the opportunity-cost of holding Gold vis-a-vis an interest-bearing asset or placing the money in a cash deposit account. On the flipside, lower inflation tends to be positive for Gold as it brings interest rates down, making the bright metal a more viable investment alternative.
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