The core version of the Fed’s preferred 12-month inflation gauge ticked back up to 2.8% as expected last month—a sign that even though prices have decelerated, they are still rising stubbornly.

Prices as measured by the personal-consumption expenditures price index rose 0.2% in October, or 0.3% after excluding the food and energy categories. Looking back 12 months, the PCE price index is up 2.3%, or 2.8% on a core basis. (…)

“Pre-Tariff Sale! This is not a drill,” declares a Facebook post from Finally Home Furnishings, urging customers to order now before prices “double.”

The online furniture retailer is one of many businesses urging customers to buy now before President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs potentially raise costs—and prices. Others banging the tariff drum include companies selling outdoor gear, stickers, beauty products and more. (…)

The outdoor and sporting-goods retailer Tarptent leveraged the looming threat of tariffs to boost its continuing sales promotion in mid-November. A recent Facebook post promoting its Black Friday sale, which offered up to 35% off some tents, said: “These are the best discounts we will likely offer until this time next year, and with potential tariffs looming, they might be the best prices for a lot longer than that.” (…)

Some influencers on TikTok are feeding into the tariff frenzy, urging people to buy their favorite products in bulk now. Others on the platform are doling out tips on how long everyday items such as makeup, shampoos and food can be stored, helping users strategize their stockpiling plans.

Finally Home Furnishings, the furniture seller, delivered this warning on Facebook earlier this month: “The very same items you are seeing now will be double the price once the tariffs kick in.” The message prompted several customers to place orders sooner rather than later, said the owner, Sydney Arnold. The retailer plans to expand its efforts with email and traditional mailings to spread the word.

“There is a misconception that the countries exporting goods will bear the cost of the tariffs, but that is simply not true,” Arnold said. Rather, she added, price increases will be passed on to consumers. (…)

AutoZone Chief Executive Philip Daniele has told analysts that the auto-parts retailer “will pass those tariff costs back to the consumer” if they come to fruition. Tariffs “certainly would add product costs,” Lowe’s Chief Financial Officer Brandon Sink said on the company’s recent earnings call. (…)

Trump’s tariff plans will likely boost US imports in the near-term. Anecdotes suggest that companies are already frontloading imports, statistical estimates from the last trade war suggest that each 1pp increase in tariff rates raised US imports by 1.7% in the months prior to implementation (implying a 5-6% boost under our baseline tariff assumptions), and port traffic in China has increased since the US election. Such stockpiling should have a negligible effect on GDP, however, since the import boost should be offset by inventory increases.

Second, elevated trade policy uncertainty will likely start to weigh on investment in early 2025. Statistical estimates suggest that investment-sensitive manufacturing activity responds to higher trade policy uncertainty within two quarters, while corporate capex generally pulled back one quarter following an increase in earnings call mentions of trade policy uncertainty. Combining these timing estimates with the rise in trade policy uncertainty thus far implies a sizable drag on Euro area growth in 2025H1 but only a modest drag in the US, consistent with our country teams’ forecasts. (GS)

(…) The cash crunch threatens China’s economic growth, since local governments carry out much of China’s investments and indirectly impact household finances as employers of civil servants and contractors of private businesses. The stakes for China’s stagnating economy are even higher with President-elect Donald Trump promising to slap China with punitive tariffs on its exports to the U.S. 

About 1,200 worker protests over unpaid wages or other compensation-related grievances have occurred nationwide so far this year, following more than 1,600 such incidents last year, according to videos and posts on social media that are tracked by Hong Kong-based nonprofit China Labour Bulletin. That is up from about 700 in 2022 and around 900 in 2021.

For years, local governments used complex state-owned funding vehicles that borrowed on their behalf, often to finance projects with little economic benefit. Across China, there are railroads with too few commuters, industrial parks with no tenants and even a ski resort in an area with little snow. Meanwhile, the trillions of yuan in revenue that local governments collect from selling land has shrunk sharply since the collapse of China’s epic property boom.

Beijing has said local governments’ “hidden debt that needs digesting”—without elaborating on how they define that—stood at the equivalent of $2 trillion at the end of last year, but economists have put the total hidden debt at between $7 trillion and $11 trillion. As much as $800 billion of that debt is at a high risk of default, economists estimate.

Monthly debt repayment across provinces reached 125% of monthly revenue at some points last year, according to an analysis by Victor Shih, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, who researches China’s politics and financial system.

China this month attempted to address the problem with a $1.4 trillion package to swap local governments’ off-balance-sheet debt with new bonds aimed at easing their financial burden. The debt swaps push maturity dates into the future, but don’t pay down the money owed. (…)

“Local governments have a lot of fiscal burden, but not a lot of fiscal income,” said Zhiguo He, a financial economist at Stanford University’s business school. (…)

The recently announced debt-swap program may help local governments save money on interest payments, which could help them pay back owed wages and reduce unnecessary fines, according to economists. That could boost some households’ income and potentially stimulate much-needed consumer spending, though the direct effects are hard to measure.

Macquarie estimates the plan could save 600 billion yuan in interest payments over the next five years, or less than 0.1% of gross-domestic product each year. Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that the debt-swap program could boost China’s real GDP by 0.55 percentage points. 

The fact that the package covers a fraction of estimated hidden debt suggests that Beijing isn’t letting local governments and the funding vehicles they use completely off the hook. Authorities are likely concerned with moral hazard, the idea that rescuing an entity could lead to even more risk-taking. (…)

(…) Now, according to official statistics, China’s sales of electric vehicles and hybrids have in fact reached a tipping point. They’ve accounted for more than half of retail passenger vehicle sales in the four months from July, according to the China Passenger Car Association, a trend that’s poised to send appetite for transport fuels into a decline that will have a major impact on the oil market.

The more rapid-than-expected uptake of EVs has shifted views among oil forecasters at energy majors, banks and academics in recent months. Unlike in the US and Europe – where peaks in consumption were followed by long plateaus — the drop in demand in the world’s top crude importer is expected to be more pronounced. Brokerage CITIC Futures Co. sees Chinese gasoline consumption dropping by 4% to 5% a year through 2030. (…)

“What we’re seeing now is the medium-term expectations coming ahead of schedule, and that has implications for the shape of Chinese and global demand growth through the rest of the decade.” (…)

[China] accounts for almost a fifth of worldwide oil demand, and gasoline makes up about a quarter of that. The prospect of a sharp drop from transport is also coming on top of tepid industrial consumption due to slowing economic growth.

The growing popularity of electric trucks, as well as those that run on liquefied natural gas, is also weighing on demand for diesel. Chinese consumption of the fuel peaked in 2019 and will drop by 3% to 5% a year through 2030, UBS Securities Co. said in a note this month. (…)

The IEA sees “rampant, mass-market electrification” potentially pushing Chinese gasoline demand into decline from 2025. That will result in an average annual drop of 2.1% from 2023 through 2030. Others, like CITIC, see a more rapid retreat. Improvements in fuel efficiency and a peak in car ownership would help drive the declines, along with the uptake of EVs, the brokerage said in a note in late October.

This year may be a “turning point for China’s refined oil market, with gasoline consumption peaking before declining rapidly,” Luo Yantuo, a senior engineer with the PetroChina Planning & Engineering Institute, part of China’s biggest oil company, wrote this month in an analysis piece on PetroChina’s website. The amount of gasoline-powered cars on the road would peak as early as next year, she said. (…)

New energy vehicles make up about 10% of all cars on the road now, and that’s expected to exceed 20% by 2027 and could approach 100% by the 2040s, said Anders Hove, a China researcher at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. The country’s oil demand from light vehicles will fall from around 3.5 million barrels a day at the moment to 1 million by 2040, he said. (…)

In the US, EV’s still represent only about 10% of total car sales, and BloombergNEF sharply scaled back its forecasts for growth after the Republican election sweep. (…)

Gasoline consumption there has fallen just 12% from a peak in 2004 through last year, according to IEA data. In Europe, where cars running on gasoline and diesel are common, transport sector consumption is down only 6% from a high in 2007. (…)

Gas prices at the pump continue to decline, which is another tailwind to consumer spending, see chart below. The decline in oil prices is driven by significant supply and production in the US and lower growth in China.

Source: AMA, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

The core version of the Fed’s preferred 12-month inflation gauge ticked back up to 2.8% as expected last month—a sign that even though prices have decelerated, they are still rising stubbornly.

Prices as measured by the personal-consumption expenditures price index rose 0.2% in October, or 0.3% after excluding the food and energy categories. Looking back 12 months, the PCE price index is up 2.3%, or 2.8% on a core basis. (…)

“Pre-Tariff Sale! This is not a drill,” declares a Facebook post from Finally Home Furnishings, urging customers to order now before prices “double.” 

The online furniture retailer is one of many businesses urging customers to buy now before President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs potentially raise costs—and prices. Others banging the tariff drum include companies selling outdoor gear, stickers, beauty products and more. (…)

The outdoor and sporting-goods retailer Tarptent leveraged the looming threat of tariffs to boost its continuing sales promotion in mid-November. A recent Facebook post promoting its Black Friday sale, which offered up to 35% off some tents, said: “These are the best discounts we will likely offer until this time next year, and with potential tariffs looming, they might be the best prices for a lot longer than that.” (…)

Some influencers on TikTok are feeding into the tariff frenzy, urging people to buy their favorite products in bulk now. Others on the platform are doling out tips on how long everyday items such as makeup, shampoos and food can be stored, helping users strategize their stockpiling plans. 

Finally Home Furnishings, the furniture seller, delivered this warning on Facebook earlier this month: “The very same items you are seeing now will be double the price once the tariffs kick in.” The message prompted several customers to place orders sooner rather than later, said the owner, Sydney Arnold. The retailer plans to expand its efforts with email and traditional mailings to spread the word. 

“There is a misconception that the countries exporting goods will bear the cost of the tariffs, but that is simply not true,” Arnold said. Rather, she added, price increases will be passed on to consumers. (…)

AutoZone Chief Executive Philip Daniele has told analysts that the auto-parts retailer “will pass those tariff costs back to the consumer” if they come to fruition. Tariffs “certainly would add product costs,” Lowe’s Chief Financial Officer Brandon Sink said on the company’s recent earnings call. (…)

Trump’s tariff plans will likely boost US imports in the near-term. Anecdotes suggest that companies are already frontloading imports, statistical estimates from the last trade war suggest that each 1pp increase in tariff rates raised US imports by 1.7% in the months prior to implementation (implying a 5-6% boost under our baseline tariff assumptions), and port traffic in China has increased since the US election. Such stockpiling should have a negligible effect on GDP, however, since the import boost should be offset by inventory increases.

Second, elevated trade policy uncertainty will likely start to weigh on investment in early 2025. Statistical estimates suggest that investment-sensitive manufacturing activity responds to higher trade policy uncertainty within two quarters, while corporate capex generally pulled back one quarter following an increase in earnings call mentions of trade policy uncertainty. Combining these timing estimates with the rise in trade policy uncertainty thus far implies a sizable drag on Euro area growth in 2025H1 but only a modest drag in the US, consistent with our country teams’ forecasts. (GS)

(…) The cash crunch threatens China’s economic growth, since local governments carry out much of China’s investments and indirectly impact household finances as employers of civil servants and contractors of private businesses. The stakes for China’s stagnating economy are even higher with President-elect Donald Trump promising to slap China with punitive tariffs on its exports to the U.S. 

About 1,200 worker protests over unpaid wages or other compensation-related grievances have occurred nationwide so far this year, following more than 1,600 such incidents last year, according to videos and posts on social media that are tracked by Hong Kong-based nonprofit China Labour Bulletin. That is up from about 700 in 2022 and around 900 in 2021.

For years, local governments used complex state-owned funding vehicles that borrowed on their behalf, often to finance projects with little economic benefit. Across China, there are railroads with too few commuters, industrial parks with no tenants and even a ski resort in an area with little snow. Meanwhile, the trillions of yuan in revenue that local governments collect from selling land has shrunk sharply since the collapse of China’s epic property boom.

Beijing has said local governments’ “hidden debt that needs digesting”—without elaborating on how they define that—stood at the equivalent of $2 trillion at the end of last year, but economists have put the total hidden debt at between $7 trillion and $11 trillion. As much as $800 billion of that debt is at a high risk of default, economists estimate.

Monthly debt repayment across provinces reached 125% of monthly revenue at some points last year, according to an analysis by Victor Shih, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, who researches China’s politics and financial system.

China this month attempted to address the problem with a $1.4 trillion package to swap local governments’ off-balance-sheet debt with new bonds aimed at easing their financial burden. The debt swaps push maturity dates into the future, but don’t pay down the money owed. (…)

“Local governments have a lot of fiscal burden, but not a lot of fiscal income,” said Zhiguo He, a financial economist at Stanford University’s business school. (…)

The recently announced debt-swap program may help local governments save money on interest payments, which could help them pay back owed wages and reduce unnecessary fines, according to economists. That could boost some households’ income and potentially stimulate much-needed consumer spending, though the direct effects are hard to measure.

Macquarie estimates the plan could save 600 billion yuan in interest payments over the next five years, or less than 0.1% of gross-domestic product each year. Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that the debt-swap program could boost China’s real GDP by 0.55 percentage points.  

The fact that the package covers a fraction of estimated hidden debt suggests that Beijing isn’t letting local governments and the funding vehicles they use completely off the hook. Authorities are likely concerned with moral hazard, the idea that rescuing an entity could lead to even more risk-taking. (…)

(…) Now, according to official statistics, China’s sales of electric vehicles and hybrids have in fact reached a tipping point. They’ve accounted for more than half of retail passenger vehicle sales in the four months from July, according to the China Passenger Car Association, a trend that’s poised to send appetite for transport fuels into a decline that will have a major impact on the oil market.

The more rapid-than-expected uptake of EVs has shifted views among oil forecasters at energy majors, banks and academics in recent months. Unlike in the US and Europe – where peaks in consumption were followed by long plateaus — the drop in demand in the world’s top crude importer is expected to be more pronounced. Brokerage CITIC Futures Co. sees Chinese gasoline consumption dropping by 4% to 5% a year through 2030. (…)

“What we’re seeing now is the medium-term expectations coming ahead of schedule, and that has implications for the shape of Chinese and global demand growth through the rest of the decade.” (…)

[China] accounts for almost a fifth of worldwide oil demand, and gasoline makes up about a quarter of that. The prospect of a sharp drop from transport is also coming on top of tepid industrial consumption due to slowing economic growth.

The growing popularity of electric trucks, as well as those that run on liquefied natural gas, is also weighing on demand for diesel. Chinese consumption of the fuel peaked in 2019 and will drop by 3% to 5% a year through 2030, UBS Securities Co. said in a note this month. (…)

The IEA sees “rampant, mass-market electrification” potentially pushing Chinese gasoline demand into decline from 2025. That will result in an average annual drop of 2.1% from 2023 through 2030. Others, like CITIC, see a more rapid retreat. Improvements in fuel efficiency and a peak in car ownership would help drive the declines, along with the uptake of EVs, the brokerage said in a note in late October.

This year may be a “turning point for China’s refined oil market, with gasoline consumption peaking before declining rapidly,” Luo Yantuo, a senior engineer with the PetroChina Planning & Engineering Institute, part of China’s biggest oil company, wrote this month in an analysis piece on PetroChina’s website. The amount of gasoline-powered cars on the road would peak as early as next year, she said. (…)

New energy vehicles make up about 10% of all cars on the road now, and that’s expected to exceed 20% by 2027 and could approach 100% by the 2040s, said Anders Hove, a China researcher at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. The country’s oil demand from light vehicles will fall from around 3.5 million barrels a day at the moment to 1 million by 2040, he said. (…)

In the US, EV’s still represent only about 10% of total car sales, and BloombergNEF sharply scaled back its forecasts for growth after the Republican election sweep. (…)

Gasoline consumption there has fallen just 12% from a peak in 2004 through last year, according to IEA data. In Europe, where cars running on gasoline and diesel are common, transport sector consumption is down only 6% from a high in 2007. (…)

Gas prices at the pump continue to decline, which is another tailwind to consumer spending, see chart below. The decline in oil prices is driven by significant supply and production in the US and lower growth in China.

Source: AMA, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist