In the coming hours, investors will pay special attention to inflation data in the United States, which will be released at 12:30 (Warsaw time). Forecasts for the CPI index for the month indicate an increase of 0.5%, which is slightly lower than the previous reading of 0.6%. Year-on-year, CPI is expected to rise to 4.2% from the previous 3.8%. Core CPI, which excludes the most volatile categories, is projected to be at 2.9% year-on-year, slightly above the previous result of 2.8%, while a monthly increase of 0.3% is expected compared to the previous 0.4%.
This data is crucial for understanding the current inflation dynamics in the USA, which remains under the scrutiny of investors and policymakers. An increase in CPI may suggest further inflationary pressures, which in turn could influence future decisions by the Federal Reserve regarding interest rates. Currently, the FED interest rate stands at 3.50-3.75%, and the market almost unanimously (99.2% probability) expects it to remain at this level until the next FOMC meeting scheduled for June 17, 2026.
In the context of the labor market, data from June 5 shows that employment in the USA increased by 172,000 new jobs outside of agriculture, significantly exceeding forecasts of 85,000. At the same time, the unemployment rate remained at 4.3%, suggesting stability in the labor market. Meanwhile, in Canada, the unemployment rate fell to 6.6% from the previous 6.9%, and the change in employment was an impressive 87.8 thousand compared to the forecasted 10.6 thousand. This indicates a solid improvement in the Canadian labor market, which may influence the Bank of Canada's monetary policy decisions.
As investors await the Bank of Canada's decisions, they forecast that the overnight rate will remain at 2.25%. Today's interest rate statement and press conference may provide more clues about the central bank's future actions. It is worth noting that economic growth in Canada, measured by the m/m GDP indicator, showed a decrease of 0.1% compared to the expected increase of 0.1%, which may pose additional challenges for policymakers.
Currently, there is an atmosphere of uncertainty in the financial markets, as reflected by the Fear & Greed Index, which has fallen to a level of 33/100, indicating fear among investors. Just a month ago, this index was at 67/100, marking a significant drop of 23 points. This trend indicates investor caution and may suggest greater volatility in the financial markets.
In recent days, data on economic activity in the USA has also been significant. The ISM Manufacturing PMI rose to 54.0 from 53.3, and the ISM Services PMI rose to 54.5 from 53.7. Higher-than-expected PMI indicators suggest that both the manufacturing and services sectors in the USA remain in an expansion phase, which may support further economic growth.
In summary, the current macroeconomic context is dominated by expectations regarding inflation and monetary policy decisions. Labor market data suggests stability; however, investors remain cautious, as reflected in the declining market sentiment. All these factors will be crucial for future decisions by both the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada, which may influence the direction of financial markets in the coming weeks.