(What’s Left of) Our Economy: Tariffs-Led Inflation, Where are You?

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aluminum, China, consumer price index, CPI, inflation, Labor Department, metals, metals-using industries, producer prices, steel, tariffs, Trade, Trump, {What's Left of) Our Economy

If you’re a baby-boomer or a fan of old sitcoms, you know the show Car 54, Where Are You? It came to mind as I was examining the new consumer price inflation data that came out of the Labor Department this morning. Because these consumer price index (CPI) should make the country’s tariff-mageddon-mongers ask, in an equally plaintive tone, “Tariffs-led inflation where are you?” That is, the results at best offer scarcely any evidence that the Trump trade levies are eating away much at American shoppers’ buying power.

As usual, let’s first look over the statistics for metals-using industries, because they’ve been dealing with tariffs on steel and aluminum since late March, when they were first imposed. The table below compares price changes for their products with price changes for overall “core inflation” (which excludes food and energy prices, supposedly because they’re volatile for reasons that have little to do with whatever overall upward or downward general pricing pressures are shaping the economy). For good measure, I’ve included related products in an effort to distinguish between price changes due to fluctuating metals costs, and price changes due to costs of other materials or substances in the product in question – e.g., fresh produce and canned produce.

And as RealityChek regulars will notice, I’ve not only included autos and parts here, but added appliances and some other metals-using goods.

As for the dates, they cover the latest monthly price changes (through January), the changes from April (the metals tariffs’ first full month) through January, the year-on-year changes for April, and the year-on-year changes for January. The last two are probably the best measures of whether the impact of the trade curbs has been intensifying – for better or worse.

                                      Dec.-Jan.       Since April         y/y April           y/y Jan.

core CPI:                  +0.24 percent   +1.67 percent   +2.12 percent   +2.15 percent

fresh fruits                 -0.19 percent   +0.07 percent   -0.43 percent   +1.25 percent

& vegs:

fresh fruits:                +1.14 percent   -0.28 percent   +1.38 percent   -0.74 percent

fresh vegetables:         -1.66 percent  +3.01 percent    -2.50 percent  +3.64 percent

processed fruits           -0.88 percent   -0.64 percent   -1.29 percent    -0.46 percent

& vegs:

canned fruits:              -0.05 percent   +0.94 percent   -0.14 percent   +0.70 percent

& vegs:

canned fruits:              -1.59 percent    -0.56 percent    -1.60 percent   +0.35 percent

canned vegs:              +0.45 percent    +1.44 percent  +1.00 percent   +1.11 percent

soups:                         +0.34 percent    +0.80 percent   -0.38 percent   -0.81 percent

malt beverages           +0.07 percent    +1.66 percent  +0.84 percent  +2.23 percent

at home:

alcoholic                      -0.04 percent    +1.34 percent  +2.17 percent  +2.25 percent

beverages away:

non-frozen, non-         +1.32 percent    +2.45 percent   -0.52 percent  +1.80 percent

-carbonated non-

alcoholic rinks:

carbonated drinks:       +2.08 percent   +4.92 percent  +0.04 percent  +5.53 percent

juices & non-               +1.84 percent   +3.39 percent   -0.26 percent  +3.31 percent

alcoholic drinks:

new cars & trucks:       +0.22 percent   +0.93 percent   -1.61 percent +0.06 percent

motor vehicle               +0.33 percent   +1.92 percent   -0.74 percent +2.12 percent

parts:

appliances:                   +1.36 percent   +4.56 percent   +0.27 percent +6.43 percent

major appliances:         +0.99 percent  +7.47 percent  +1.55 percent  +9.66 percent

non-electric                  +0.67 percent   -0.84 percent   -1.57 percent  +3.59 percent

cookware & tableware:

tools, hardware,            +0.98 percent  +0.77 percent  +0.19 percent  +1.57 percent

outdoor equipment:

The two sets of year-on-year figures do reveal some evidence of hotter inflation in metals-using products between April and January. Also apparent, however, is accelerating inflation in several of the non-canned versions of these products. As has been the case in previous months, prices change for all sorts of reasons; tariffs are only one and nothing indicates that, generally speaking, they stand out.

The evidence is more mixed for other food sectors that offer lots of canned products, like soups and beverages. The trouble is, they also offer lots of products in other kinds of containers or packages. So tariff alarmists can point to the beverages as examples of prices rising at a faster annual pace since the metals levies were imposed. But when it comes to soup, prices have been falling at a faster pace.

Moreover, if the metals tariffs have been so important, why is January year-on-year inflation for all three of the canned products so much lower than January year-on-year overall core inflation?

Moving away from foods, faster inflation can also be seen in automotive products, appliances, cookware and tableware, and tools and hardware. But as with some of the food categories, the January-January inflation rate for the tools section is below that for the economy’s “core” overall, and appliance prices also have been affected by a separate set of tariffs slapped on large household laundry machines last February. So consumer prices are still rising strongly for these goods, although it’s hard to see why year-old washing machine tariffs or ten-month old metals tariffs would be major factors behind the big December-January increases shown above.

In recent previous posts on consumer price data and the Trump tariffs, I’ve been providing information on products that will be affected by levies on imports from China. But the more I think about it, the less confident I am that the effects can be accurately gauged at this point. For one, the first full month of tariffs on goods from China came in August. The amount was relatively small ($34 billion). The first full tariff month for another $16 billion worth of Chinese import categories came in September, but none of the products in either tranche belonged in the consumer categories. (Because they were producer goods – the kinds of parts, components, and materials that go into consumer and other products –  confident about measuring their effect on U.S. producer prices – the next set of which come out tomorrow.)

A major set of tariffs containing many consumer goods levies was announced in mid-September, but they only went into effect late that month, so only four months worth of data for those products is available. And plaguing analysis of any of these price statistics, they’re issued using a classification system that’s different from that used in the list of tariff-ed Chinese goods. In a fair number of cases they line up; in most cases, they don’t, and finding satisfactory matches is challenging.

So as I see it, more patience is needed before a useful verdict on the China tariffs can be delivered. But metals tariff-led inflation clearly remains mythical – which of course only strengthens the case for President Trump’s determination to overhaul American trade policy.

(What’s Left of) Our Economy: No Signs of Tariff-Led Consumer Price Inflation, Either

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automotive, beer, canned goods, consumer price index, CPI, inflation, Labor Department, Producer Price Index, tariffs, Trade, Trump, washing machines, wholesale prices, {What's Left of) Our Economy

Honestly, I hate to bombard everyone with official U.S. government data showing that President Trump’s tariffs so far have done exactly zero damage to the U.S. economy, contrary to upteen claims. Except official U.S. government data keeps showing that President Trump’s tariffs so far have done exactly zero damage to the U.S. economy, contrary to upteen claims.

Two days ago, this conclusion was borne out by the Labor Department’s latest report on price changes faced by businesses (measured by the Producer Price Index). Yesterday, the same message was sent loud and clear by the Department’s latest report on price changes faced by consumers (measured by the Consumer Price Index), which take the story up to September.

Since Mr. Trump’s first tariffs on imports from China didn’t go into effect until late August, not enough time has passed to assess their impact. But new American levies on steel and aluminum began to be collected in late-March. In addition, separate tariffs have been imposed on imports of large home washing machines since February. So this post focuses on price changes in sectors that use lots of steel and aluminum – the very sectors of course that have complained loudest about the tariffs. And it will present some seasonally adjusted and non-adjusted figures, because the only year-on-year data provided are unadjusted.

First, the main overall results for the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (not the only U.S. government measure of inflation at the retail level, but one that’s widely cited and that the Labor Department emphasizes). Between August and September, the overall CPI was up 0.1 percent on both adjusted and unadjusted bases. Year-on-year on year, these September prices rose by 2.3 percent (again, on an unadjusted basis).

Most students of the economy more closely follow the so-called “core CPI,” which strips out food and energy prices because of their volatility. But they weren’t much different from the overall CPI results. Between August and September, the core CPI increased by 0.2 percent on an unadjusted basis, by 0.1 percent on an adjusted basis, and on year by 2.2 percent (adjusted).

So these numbers don’t exactly scream “Raging inflation!” But what about products with lots of steel and/or aluminum? In most cases, prices went up considerably less than overall prices and core prices, and especially year-on-year – which provides the best indicator of trends over time.

Take new motor vehicles. Their September year-on-year price increase has been just 0.5 percent – less than a quarter the rate of core inflation. And on both adjusted and unadjusted basis, they were down between August and September – by 0.1 and 0.3 percent, respectively. Don’t forget: Both the adjusted and unadjusted monthly figures show that core inflation rose in September.

Take canned fruits and vegetables. Year-on-year, their price is up 1.9 percent as of September – nearly the rate of core inflation and overall inflation. But look beneath the hood: Most of those higher prices were generated by canned vegetables, which were 3.2 percent more expensive this September than during the previous September. So it sounds very much like the price hikes had little to do with cans made more expensive by more expensive metals.

On a sequential basis, the price changes in canned fruits and vegetables seem to make the tariff-induced inflation claims look more convincing. When seasonally adjusted, in particular, prices for the group rose by 0.7 percent in September – much faster than the overall or core consumer inflation rates. But look even more closely at that line item, and you’ll find a footnote making clear that the size of the sample on which the figure is based is “substantially smaller” than the norm. So presumably its reliability isn’t sterling.

Because the CPI data don’t distinguish between canned beer, soda, and soup, and the uncanned varieties, the impact of higher metals prices on these foods is tougher to figure out.

For example, for carbonated drinks, September year-on-year prices rose by 2.1 percent – again, close, but not quite at the overall CPI rate. And of course, many of these drinks are sold in bottles as well. Both the adjusted and unadjusted monthly September consumer inflation rates for these drinks were actually a good deal higher than the overall rate – 0.3 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. But how many of the drinks surveyed were cans?

The same question arises for beer. The Labor Department distinguishes between suds consumed at home and away from home. For beer (and “ale and other malt beverages”) drunk at home, prices rose in September at an annualized 1.1 percent – less than half the overall inflation rate. On an adjusted and unadjusted basis on month in September, the increases were greater – 0.5 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively. Indeed, they were both greater than the comparable overall inflation numbers. But what was the can-bottle ratio?

For these malt beverages consumed away from home, the annual September price increase was twice as great as for home-consumed drinks in the beer category (2.2 percent). But the monthly increases were in the same neighborhood as for beer etc drunk at home – 0.5 percent adjusted and unadjusted. And there’s still that can-bottle puzzle.

Therefore, there’s no reason to think that price for canned produce and beer-type drinks are rising through the roof due to the metals tariffs.  The case for tariff-led inflation is even weaker for soups – many of which are canned but some of which are powdered or otherwise dried. On-year, their prices were down by 3.8 percent. On month, prices also dropped on both adjusted and unadjusted bases – by 1.4 percent and four percent, respectively. So if anything, prices for soups are deflating.

And finally, let’s take those washing machines. Year-on-year, their September prices rose by a robust 10.6 percent. But the latest figures show that the pricing trend has actually shifted into reverse.  On month, washing machine prices were down by 1.9 percent on an unadjusted basis and by fully 3.8 percent on an adjusted basis.  Moreover, the rate of monthly price drops has been speeding up.  So although producers tried to jack up prices in response to the tariffs, they’re failing to make those price hikes stick.   

As for the future, who knows? But the tariff-led inflation alarmists still haven’t answered this crucial question: If business thinks it will have great scope to boost prices after tariffs are imposed, why isn’t it raising those prices right now? That is, why will companies have the major extra pricing power on Tariff Day Plus One that they will have lacked up until Tariff Day Minus One?

Once that question is answered, tariff alarmism will start looking highly plausible, even if no tariff-led inflation is visible yet. But not one day before.

(What’s Left of) Our Economy: Trump Tariffs to Raise Washing Machine Prices? Good Luck with That!

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consumer price index, consumers, CPI, inflation, PCE, personal consumption expenditures index, prices, South Korea, tariffs, Trade, Trump, washing machines, {What's Left of) Our Economy

It’s painfully clear that none of the journalists and offshoring lobby-funded think tank hacks who have parroted the threats by South Korean washing machine makers to raise their U.S. retail prices to offset tariffs imposed by the Trump administration last month has shopped for a washing machine lately. Nor have they looked at the price data for home appliances in America. If they had, they’d recognize that the South Koreans seem to be blowing so much smoke. For no one could possibly look at the U.S. washing machine market either first hand or statistically and conclude that any producer thinks they have much pricing power.

The first-hand evidence? Just check the ads in your daily newspaper. Or take a look at this post from about a year ago offering tips to appliance shoppers. For example, consumers are told that: 

>in-store sales people and on-line shopping sites will often sell a machine for less (and “sometimes a lot less” than the advertised price;

>”If you’ve had your eye on an appliance but wish it were just a smidgen cheaper, try putting it in your cart. Then walk away (so to speak). If you leave it there for a few days, a retailer might send you a coupon to entice you to close the deal.”

>”Never be afraid to ask salespeople, cashiers, and store managers if they can do a little better on the price. In fact, Consumer Reports says that nearly all people who haggle over appliances are successful at least once—and save an average $200.”

The statistics? They mock even more cruelly the idea that the tariffs will drive washing machine prices up. Let’s start off with the Federal Reserve’s favorite measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index. And as the broadest gauge, let’s use the “core” PCE numbers, which strip out food and energy prices because they’re considered volatile for reasons having little to do with the main determinants of price changes for the rest of the economy.

According to the Commerce Department, which tracks this data, between 2009 (when the current U.S. economic recovery began) and 2016 (the latest figures), core PCE rose by a cumulative 13.10 percent. But for durable goods (the category containing home appliances), prices during this period fell by 13.54 percent. And although there are no statistics for washing machines specifically, prices for “household appliances” plunged by 18 percent over those seven years. These trends don’t exactly scream “Pricing power!”

Moreover, let’s look at what happened with appliances prices after 2013, when the Obama administration imposed tariffs on subsidized and dumped South Korean-brand washing machines from South Korea and Mexico. After having fallen by 2.39 percent the previous year, they fell even faster – by 5.61 percent, 4.96 percent, and 5.03 percent annually over the next three years. And in each instance, the rate of decrease for appliance prices was much steeper than for prices for other durable goods.

The Labor Department’s different sets of inflation data do extend through 2017. They’re grouped under the heading “consumer price index” (CPI), and show that prices for major appliances decreased that year by 2.57 percent, and for appliances generally by 1.03 percent. That year, the CPI for urban consumers less food, energy, and shelter rose by 0.72 percent.  And according to this CPI, appliance and major appliance prices have been falling throughout the current recovery, too.  

There’s a first time for everything, and so it’s possible that Korean washing machine manufacturers really will carry through on their price increase vows. And of course, since it’s their business, they may know something I don’t. But the first-hand evidence and the data strongly indicate that the tariffs will simply require them to charge closer to fair market value for their goods, and that until much stronger pricing pressures emerge, this fair market value will remain pretty low and could well keep falling.

As a result, there’s a heavy burden of proof not only for taking them at their word, but for continuing to accept blithely the standard assumption that tariffs always hit consumers hardest – or will at all.