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The Federal Reserve’s “heightened sensitivity” to rising inflation expectations could be triggered by a barrage of political ad campaigns that are expected to highlight surging consumer prices ahead of the midterm elections in November, analysts at Goldman Sachs warned on Friday, adding that the central bank may feel “compelled” to keep hiking rates aggressively.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
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With the midterm elections looming in November, surging consumer prices will be a major issue for voters—especially as long-term inflation expectations have surged in recent months, according to the latest consumer sentiment survey released by the University of Michigan on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve watches long-term inflation expectations closely, and used it in its decision earlier this month to raise interest rates by 75 basis points—the largest increase since 1994.
The central bank’s “strong reaction” to the data demonstrates a “heightened sensitivity to any further upward drift in inflation expectations,” with the Fed likely to try and moderate any further increases, analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a recent note.
What’s more, with high inflation top of mind for voters, it is likely to feature prominently in political advertisements ahead of the midterm elections—and inflation expectations “have historically been quite sensitive to political outcomes,” the analysts wrote.
Political campaign ads highlighting surging consumer prices will likely to “help shape” inflation expectations and drive them higher for the rest of 2022, the firm predicts, noting that polling data suggests Republicans intend to portray inflation as a “major vulnerability” for Democrats.
The “coming barrage of political advertisements” could result in Fed officials feeling “compelled to respond forcefully” to moderate rising long-term inflation expectations by raising rates more aggressively, Goldman analysts said.