NEC Kevin Hassett: “Inflation is decelerating”
NEC Director Kevin Hassett said inflation is decelerating and that the latest CPI reading was close to target. The comment reinforces a softer-inflation narrative but offers no new policy commitment or quantified forecast.
Speaking after this month’s CPI report, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said inflation is “decelerating” and that policymakers had “just about hit the target.” Bloomberg Television reported the remarks, but did not provide a new inflation estimate, a specific policy change or further detail on the CPI components behind his assessment.
The comments arrive as a characterization of the latest CPI data rather than as a new release of economic figures. Hassett’s wording signals confidence that disinflation is continuing, but it does not establish how quickly inflation is moving toward the target or whether the improvement is broad across categories.
The immediate macro link is to expectations for monetary policy, rates and interest-sensitive assets: a belief that inflation is easing can reduce pressure for restrictive policy, while a renewed acceleration in the next CPI report would challenge that interpretation. No individual company or sector-specific mechanism was identified in the remarks.
The reporting does not include a dissenting official view, a new forecast or a quantified threshold beyond Hassett’s statement that inflation is near target. The evidence therefore supports a read on official messaging, not a firm change in the policy outlook.
The next CPI report and subsequent Federal Reserve decisions will provide the harder tests of the claim. The key unresolved points are whether the next inflation readings confirm continued deceleration and whether policymakers translate that progress into a change in rates or guidance.
Hassett’s near-target inflation message is supportive for duration and rate-sensitive assets, but too light on new data to establish a durable macro trade.
The implication is mainly for the rates narrative: continued disinflation would ease pressure on restrictive policy, while the absence of a new forecast or policy commitment limits the immediate signal. The next CPI report is the decisive test, and Hassett’s comment alone does not support a single-name equity lean.
A hotter next CPI reading or renewed official concern about inflation would undercut the near-target message.
CoverageSource: Bloomberg Television · Published here FRI, SEP 11 · 1:03 PM ET · the only report in this recordHow this is decided →
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Hassett’s statement that inflation is decelerating and nearly at target supports expectations for less restrictive policy if the next CPI report confirms it.
The opposing case is stronger than the headline alone suggests because Bloomberg Television gave no new inflation figure, policy commitment or quantified forecast to validate the claim.
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