U.S. Future Inflation Gauge Slips
Reuters
2-May-2008
NEW YORK, May 2 (Reuters) - U.S. inflation pressures
slipped in April, as disinflationary moves in measures of
interest rates offset inflationary moves in those of commodity prices and vendor performance, a report said on Friday.
The Economic Cycle Research Institute's U.S. Future
Inflation Gauge (USFIG), designed to anticipate cyclical swings in the rate of inflation, slipped to 117.2 in April from 117.4 in March, revised upward from 116.4.
"With the USFIG easing in April, underlying inflation
pressures remain subdued," said Melinda Hubman, research
associate at ECRI.
The index's annualized growth rate, which smooths out
monthly fluctuations, rose, however, to minus 2.0 percent from minus 2.3 percent in March, revised from negative 3.9 percent.