🇺🇸 Inflation isn’t leaving

Inflation dipped less than expected | Ford bid adieu to thousands of employees | [Finimize]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for February 15th in 3:06 minutes. 👩‍💻 Your digital assets might be totally virtual, but their rewards can be completely real. So listen to WisdomTree’s Will Peck on the latest episode of the [Finimize Podcast](, and find out how to make your crypto dream into a reality this year. [Listen in on Spotify]( or [YouTube]( Today's big stories - US inflation came in above expectations last month, raining on hopeful economists’ parade - Bank of Japan's new chief could signal a serious break with the past – [Read Now]( - Ford staged a heartless Valentine's Day breakup with nearly 10% of its European workforce Inflation, Please Leave [Inflation, Please Leave] What’s Going On Here? Data out on Tuesday [showed]( US consumer prices rose more than expected last month. What Does This Mean? The Federal Reserve must be getting, ahem, fed up: the central bank’s pulled out all the stops to try and get rid of inflation, upping rates eight times since last March. But like that one annoying guest who lingers when the party’s over, inflation didn’t take the hint last month – a slap in the face for the eager economists who’d already claimed victory. Sure, medical care, airline fares, and used car prices dropped, but that was overshadowed by hefty upticks in energy and shelter costs. All in all, US consumer prices rose more than economists were expecting: 0.5% for the month – the most in three months – and 6.4% versus January last year ([tweet this](). There is one caveat, though: the Bureau of Labor Statistics tinkered with the way it calculates that headline number, meaning an apples-to-apples comparison with past data is pretty tricky. Why Should I Care? The bigger picture: Service with a frown. Tuesday’s figures make one thing crystal clear: the drop-off in the inflation of goods – which has been key to slowing price increases lately – has hit a wall. That means any serious further dip in inflation will probably have to be driven by services. And that’s a tall order: see, Americans have shifted spending to services recently, pushing prices upward – and with January's red-hot jobs [report]( suggesting wages could keep rising, services inflation might prove hard to squash. Zooming out: Love hurts. Love is in the air this week – it's just a shame that the price of romance has got airborne too. Hard-pressed valentines faced a 17% [steeper]( bill for their candlelit dinners this year, while data from the National Retail Federation predicted Valentine's Day spending would jump to $26 billion this year, up from $24 billion last time around. You might also like: [The market’s dangerous optimism about inflation.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Inflation, Please Leave&utm_campaign=daily-global-15-02-2023&utm_source=email) Analyst Take An Outsider Signals Change In Japan, The World’s Third-Biggest Economy [An Outsider Signals Change In Japan, The World’s Third-Biggest Economy]( By Russell Burns, Analyst Change doesn’t happen quickly at [the Bank of Japan](: it’s had the same [near-zero-interest-rate policy]( for over 20 years and the same leadership for a decade. Until today, that is: [economist Kazuo Ueda](, a relative outsider, was just tapped to serve as the central bank’s next governor. The news sent the yen and the country’s banking stocks tentatively higher, as investors anticipate [a chipping away]( of major policies that have held steady for decades in [the world’s third-biggest economy](. That’s today’s Insight: [what this shift in leadership means, and how you might take advantage](. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( Finimize x RevolutEvery cake needs a good foundation. You know, something like six free months of jargon-free [Finimize Premium]( Insights, written daily by our expert analysts. Then there’s the delicious, buttery icing. Three months of [free Revolut Premium]( – read: your one-stop shop for all things money – sounds about right for that one. And as for the cherry on top, that’s the [£10 or equivalent]( you’ll find waiting in your new Revolut account. Mmm, delicious. Have your cake and eat it too: [unlock all that goodness by signing up for Revolut today](. Our community wants to know your name Building a good brand is hard work. So if you’re proud of the work you do, you best make sure everyone knows about it. You could start by [introducing yourself to our one-million-strong community](: they’re a global bunch of switched-on, savvy retail investors who want to take their investing skills up a notch. And if your tips, tools, or platform – plus whatever else you have up your sleeve – could help them do that, then this might be just the right spot for you to [show off what you have to offer](. Make sure everyone knows your name: [introduce yourself to over one million retail investors](. [Get In Touch]( It’s Not Me, It’s You [It’s Not Me, It’s You] What’s Going On Here? Ford announced on [Tuesday]( that it’s breaking up with 3,800 workers across Europe and the UK as it transitions to fully electric vehicles (EVs). What Does This Mean? Talk about timing: the US carmaker chose Valentine’s Day, of all days, to announce a so-called “voluntary” separation program for 2,300 German and 1,300 UK workers, with another 200 elsewhere also on the chopping block. This move will cut close to 10% of Ford’s employees across Europe, and comes as the carmaking giant accelerates toward a fully electric future. For now, Ford thinks EVs are simpler than old-fashioned gas guzzlers, and reckons they take less manpower to assemble. That’s all well and good for the auto colossus, but it’s cold comfort for the spurned workers. Why Should I Care? Zooming out: Europe’s stalling. Ford announced 3,000 US layoffs back in August – but a quick napkin calculation shows that hit a far smaller percentage of the region’s 90,000-strong workforce than these European cuts do. Cynics might argue that’s because the US’s Inflation Reduction Act gives carmakers all kinds of generous handouts, making it easier to keep Americans on the books. But watch this space: Ford’s move will hit Germany’s vital auto industry where it hurts, which could get European lawmakers scribbling their own version of America’s policy before long.  The bigger picture: Electric dreams. Ford’s accelerating its electric efforts so fast that it expects its entire car lineup to be gasoline-free by 2035. And it's not the only one with ambitions like that: most major carmakers have similar plans, and some governments are even aiming to ban gas-fueled car sales by the mid-2030s. But EVs don’t come cheap, and someone’s got to foot the cost of the transition. So sure, America's act helps, and EV production will get cheaper over time – but it’s likely that drivers and carmakers will ultimately have to swallow some of the cost. You might also like: [Those mass layoffs in tech don’t mean we’re driving into a recession.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=It’s Not Me, It’s You&utm_campaign=daily-global-15-02-2023&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day “The reward for conformity was that everyone liked you except yourself.” – Rita Mae Brown (an American feminist writer) [Tweet this]( 🌍 Finimize Live 🥳 Coming Up In The Next Week… All events in UK time. 👩‍💻 [Opportunities For Women In Blockchain 2023](: 12.30pm, February 16th 🏠[How To Start Investing In UK Real Estate](: 6pm, February 20th 🗞 [The Relationship Between News And The Markets](: 5pm, February 21st ✍️ [What Are Investment DAOs And How Do They Work?](: 6pm, February 22nd 👀 And After That… 🌥 [Do Recessions Have A Silver Lining?](: 5pm, March 8th 🌎 [Three Ways Long-Term Investors Can Act On Climate Change](: 12pm, March 21st 🎯 On Our Radar - Lost in love. If you’re all loved out after Valentine’s Day, relax with [this Brazilian classic](. - It’s a dog’s life. Meet Bobi, aged 30, the world’s [oldest canine](. - All aboard. Check out the world’s most stunning and most affordable [train journeys](. - Love that can be measured. Folk have tried to [test romance scientifically]( for years. - A couple of forgers. This husband and wife [made millions]( duping the art world. ❤️ Share with a friend Your Referrals: 0 Thanks for reading {NAME}. If you liked today's brief, we'd love for you to share it with a friend. Share your unique link: [ You stay classy, {NAME} 😉 We’d love to hear your thoughts. [Give feedback]( Want to advertise with us too? [Get in touch]( Image Credits: Image credits: Midjourney AI | Midjourney AI Preferences: [Update your email]( or [change preferences]( [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( from all Finimize Emails 😴 Crafted by Finimize Ltd. | 280 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4AG All content provided by Finimize Ltd. is for informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to represent trade or investment recommendations. 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