Business

Headline CPI rose 0.4% MoM (above +0.3% exp) for the biggest jump since Feb 2013 but sadly at the same time, price-adjusted hourly wages slid 0.1% in April.

Following a small drop in March, from 8 year highs, Core (ex food and energy) Consumer Prices rose 2.1% YoY (as expected) abesent the effect of Gasoline's huge 8.1% MoM surge.

Of course this is probably transitory but we note that rent inflation remains at 3.7% YoY - its highest since 2008 and definitively not transitory.

Submitted by Clint Siegner via Money Metals Exchange,

A respectable number of Americans hold investments in gold and silver in one form or another. Some hold physical bullion, while others opt for indirect ownership via ETFs or other instruments. A very small minority speculate via the futures markets. But we frequently report on the futures markets – why exactly is that?

• As Brexit vote looms, U.S. banks review their European commitments (Reuters)
• Oil’s Strength Continues to Boost Global Stocks (WSJ)
• Trump closing gap with Clinton, poll shows (Hill)
• In Adjacent Pennsylvania Counties, Republicans Are Split on Donald Trump (WSJ)
• Make America Gold Again: Calls for Everyone's Favorite Standard Are Back (BBG)
• SEC, Treasury Push for Centralized Reporting of Treasurys Trades (WSJ)
• Venezuela protesters fear Maduro will cling on at all costs (FT)

One of the more closely watched 13F reports yesterday in addition to that of Warren Buffett was that of Soros Fund Management, the family office of George Soros, which revealed that while the 85 year old billionaire was not quite as bearish as his former chief strategist Stanley Druckenmiller, or Carl Icahn for that matter, had turned decidedly sour on overall equity exposure.

As shown in his 13F, Soros slashed his overall long equity holdings by over 25% to just $4.5 billion as of March 31, which was the lowest such position since 2013.

It has been more of the same overnight, as global stocks piggybacked on the strong US close and rose despite the lack of good (or bad) macro news, propelled higher by the two usual suspects: a higher USDJPY and a even higher oil, if mostly early on in the trading session.

Yes, the oil squeeze higher continues, and as the charts below courtesy of Andy Critchlow show, Brent is now 82% higher in the past 82 days...

... while crude has had its strongest rally since 2010.