December CPI preview: Payback pending

Wells Fargo Research Team Wells Fargo

Summary

Data collection issues stemming from the longest-ever government shutdown led to a surprisingly soft November CPI report. Most, although not all, of these distortions should be unwound in the December report. Although we expect the monthly pace of consumer price inflation to pickup in December relative to November's suppressed pace, we look for the year-over-year rate of headline and core CPI, at 2.7% and 2.8%, respectively, to remain lower in December than in September and indicate that inflation has resumed its descent.

Download the Full Report!

Author

Wells Fargo Research Team

Wells Fargo

AUD/USD remains above 0.7200 after China's trade data

AUD/USD sits above 0.7200 in the Asian session on Tuesday, near its highest level since May 14. The US Dollar stays under pressure as a rallying Japanese Yen outweighs support from hawkish Fed bets and geopolitical tensions. This, along with firming expectations for another RBA rate hike later this month, acts as a tailwind for the Aussie. However, mixed China trade balance data keep the pair restricted.

USD/JPY stabilizes at around 154.00 as markets assess BoJ outlook

USD/JPY fluctuates at around 154.00 in the American session on Tuesday after rebounding from the six-month low it touched below 153.00 earlier in the day. Nevertheless, the upside attempts resemble technical corrections for now as Japan's upbeat wage growth data and Q2 GDP revision cement bets on a BoJ rate hike next week and continue to support the Japanese Yen.

Gold holds around $4,400, but for how long?

Gold (XAU/USD) remains on the back foot during American trading hours on Tuesday, even as the US Dollar (USD) remains on the defensive. Rising Oil prices and expectations of a Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike weigh on the precious metal. At the time of writing, XAU/USD trades around $4,400 after reaching an intraday high near $4,443.

XRP ticks up as bullish derivatives, EMA support signal breakout

Ripple (XRP) is grinding upward and getting closer to a short-term breakout above $1.40 on Tuesday. This uptick follows the remittance token's defense of support at $1.38, after a short-lived attempt to breach selling pressure at $1.50 last week.

Europe in focus: September 2026

Six major net contributors demanded substantial cuts to the European Commission’s proposed 2028–2034 EU budget. Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Sweden issued a joint position on 27 August calling for the nearly €2 trillion proposal to be reduced by several hundred billion euros and rejecting additional common EU borrowing.

Diesel’s record $100 warning: The oil shock hiding in plain sight

The Oil market may look calmer than it did a few months ago, but diesel is sending a very different message. The US diesel crack spread, the premium of ultra-low sulphur diesel futures over WTI, recently surged above $100 per barrel for the first time, reaching an intraday record of just over $102.00.