US consumer price index in November rose 6.8% year-on-year, the highest level in 39 years

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

11月の米消費者物価指数 前年同月比6.8％上昇 39年ぶり高水準

2021年12月10日 23時57分

アメリカの先月の消費者物価指数は前の年の同じ月と比べて6.8％の上昇と39年ぶりの高い水準になりました。

記録的なインフレに対し、金融政策も対応を迫られることになりそうです。

アメリカ労働省が10日発表した先月の消費者物価指数は前の年の同じ月と比べて6.8％の上昇と、1982年6月以来、およそ39年ぶりの高い水準を記録しました。

消費者物価はことし5月に5％台、10月に6％台となり、中央銀行にあたるFRB＝連邦準備制度理事会が目標とする2％程度を大きく上回る水準が続いてきましたが、今回、インフレ圧力が一段と強まりました。

これは、景気の回復でさまざまなモノやサービスの需要が高まっているのに対し、港の混雑や人手不足といったサプライチェーン＝供給網の混乱で品不足などが起き幅広く値上げの動きが出ているためです。

項目別では「食品」が6.1％、ホテルなどの「宿泊施設」が25.5％の上昇となったほか、「ガソリン」は58.1％の上昇でした。

FRBのパウエル議長は先月、物価の上昇は一時的だという見解を修正し、インフレに対処するため、景気を下支えしてきた量的緩和策を前倒しして終了させる必要性に言及しています。

来週14日と15日に金融政策を決める会合があり、具体的な対応が焦点になります。

Translation

Last month's consumer price index in the United States rose 6.8% from the same month of the previous year, the highest level in 39 years.

Monetary policy was likely to be forced to respond to the record inflation.

Last month's consumer price index, released by the US Ministry of Labor on the 10th, rose 6.8% from the same month of the previous year, the highest level in about 39 years since June 1982.

Consumer prices had risen to the 5% level in May and to the 6% level in October, far exceeding the 2% target set by the Fed, the central bank, as this time the inflationary pressure had increased further.

This was because as demand for various goods and services was increasing due to the economic recovery, there was a widespread movement to raise prices due to supply chain = supply network disruptions such as port congestion and labor shortages.

By item, "food" increased by 6.1%, "accommodation facilities" such as hotels increased by 25.5%, and "gasoline" increased by 58.1%.

Fed Chair Powell last month revised his view that rising prices were temporary, and cited the need to end quantitative easing measures ahead of schedule that were underpinning the economy.

There would be a meeting to decide monetary policy on the 14th and 15th next week, and the focus would on the concrete measures to be announced.

So, in the US the quantitative easing measures that are currently underpinning its economy will end ahead of schedule.