PCE Inflation Monitor (Change YoY & MoM)📊 PCE Inflation Monitor - The Fed's Most Important Metric
Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) is the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure and THE metric they target for their 2% inflation goal. If you want to predict Fed policy, you need to watch PCE.
🎯 KEY FEATURES:
- Dual Perspective Analysis:
- Year-over-Year (YoY): Histogram bars showing annual PCE inflation
- Month-over-Month (MoM): Line overlay showing monthly consumption price changes
- Visual Reference System:
- Dashed line at 2% (Fed's official PCE inflation target)
- Dotted line at 0.17% (equivalent monthly target)
- Color-coded bars: Red above Fed target, Green below target
- Real-Time Data Table:
- Current PCE Index value
- YoY inflation rate vs. Fed's 2% target
- MoM inflation rate with color coding
- Exact deviation from Fed target (critical for policy predictions)
- Automated Alerts:
- PCE crosses Fed's 2% target (major policy signal!)
- MoM crosses monthly target
- Stay informed of Fed-relevant inflation changes
📈 WHY PCE IS DIFFERENT (AND MORE IMPORTANT):
PCE vs. CPI differences:
- Flexible basket: PCE adjusts for substitution (beef → chicken if prices rise)
- Broader coverage: Includes healthcare paid by insurance/government
- Lower readings: Typically 0.2-0.4% below CPI
- Fed's choice: Explicitly stated as their target metric
Most importantly: When Powell speaks about "our 2% target," he means PCE, not CPI!
🔍 TRADING IMPLICATIONS:
PCE Above 2% (Red Zone):
→ Fed under pressure to maintain/raise rates
→ Hawkish policy stance likely
→ Negative for growth stocks, crypto
→ Positive for USD, bearish for gold
PCE Below 2% (Green Zone):
→ Fed has flexibility to cut rates
→ Dovish policy stance possible
→ Positive for risk assets, growth stocks
→ Negative for USD, bullish for commodities
PCE Approaching 2% from Above:
→ Fed "mission accomplished" narrative
→ Rate cut cycle becomes possible
→ Major bullish signal for equities/crypto
💡 ADVANCED STRATEGIES:
1. Fed Meeting Preparation: Check PCE before FOMC meetings for policy clues
2. Dot Plot Predictions: PCE trend determines Fed's rate forecast updates
3. Pivot Timing: When PCE MoM turns negative, Fed pivot becomes realistic
4. Press Conference Analysis: Compare Powell's comments to PCE deviation
🎯 KEY LEVELS TO WATCH:
- 2.0% YoY: Fed's official target - crossing this level is major news
- 2.5% YoY: "Uncomfortably high" - Fed forced to stay restrictive
- 3.0% YoY: "Crisis mode" - Fed turns very hawkish
- 1.5% YoY: "Below target" - Rate cuts become likely
🔄 COMBINE WITH:
- CPI: Public perception vs. Fed's metric (often diverge)
- Core PCE: Even more important (excludes food/energy volatility)
- Fed Funds Rate: Is Fed responding appropriately to PCE?
📊 DATA SOURCE:
Official PCE data from FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), updated monthly typically in the last week of each month (after CPI/PPI releases).
🎨 CUSTOMIZATION:
Fully customizable:
- Toggle YoY/MoM displays
- Adjust Fed target if needed
- Customize colors
- Show/hide absolute PCE values
Perfect for: Fed watchers, macro traders, policy analysts, and serious investors who want to predict monetary policy changes before they happen.
⚠️ CRITICAL INSIGHT: While media focuses on CPI, the Fed focuses on PCE. Trade what the Fed trades, not what the headlines say.
🎓 Pro Tip: Fed members often mention "Core PCE" (excluding food/energy). Consider adding that indicator alongside this one for complete Fed policy analysis.
PCE
Swing Stock designed for Monthly/Yearly Trading This is a strategy tester designed around the most important data from FRED - Federal Reserve Economic Data
As input data, we have:
// Personal Consumption Expenditures
// Real Retail and Food Services Sales
// Leading Index for the United States
// All Employees: Total Nonfarm Payrolls
// Real Gross Domestic Product
// Gross Domestic Product
I adapted the long and short entry based on the GDP data, since they are most accurate in prediction compared to the rest.
However, feel free to test with other as well if you want.
For this test I compared previous GDP values, if they were higher than previous that represent a long signals, if they were smaller that represents a reversal=short signal.
From the tests performed we can see that GDP is highly accurate and overall as long as there is patience, profits are going to be make, sometimes even beat the index itself.
If you have any questions, let me know !
