The Fed's Inflation Bind and the Tariff Regime

The Federal Reserve finds itself in a bind that rate hikes alone cannot fix, and rate cuts would only deepen. With its June 2026 Summary of Economic Projections marking a 90-basis-point upward revision to median PCE inflation (from 2.7% to 3.6%), and the effective U.S. tariff rate trending back toward 9-10% after a brief legal reprieve, the central bank is watching inflation return through a channel it does not control: trade policy. Key Takeaways The Fed's June 2026 SEP revised median PCE inflation to 3.6% (from 2.7% in March), the sharpest single-revision in years, driven primarily by tariff-driven import price increases. The effective U.S. tariff rate temporarily fell to ~7% after a Febru…
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