金融市场押注最早可能在9月加息，此后可能还有一次加息

Odaily Odaily News As energy prices surge due to the Middle East conflict, U.S. inflation edged higher in May, with the PCE annual rate breaking above the 4% threshold for the first time in three years. This could bring the Federal Reserve closer to raising interest rates this year. Data released by the U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday showed that the annual PCE price index in May recorded 4.1%, the largest increase since April 2023 and the first time the data has surpassed 4.0%. The U.S.-led war against Iran has pushed up oil prices, which in turn has driven up gasoline prices.

Although crude oil and gasoline prices have eased in recent weeks following a fragile ceasefire agreement, economists expect inflation to remain elevated for some time. Prior to this conflict, consumers were already grappling with price increases triggered by Trump's sweeping import tariffs. The Federal Reserve held its interest rate steady in the 3.50%-3.75% range last week, but updated quarterly projections showed that policymakers, due to heightened inflation concerns, now expect to raise rates this year. Financial markets are betting that the earliest rate hike could come in September, followed by potentially one more increase. (Jin Shi)