US: Focus on consumer sentiment data – Nomura

Analysts at Nomura point out that the US consumer optimism remained resilient, partly owing to expectations that the labor market will remain robust in the near term.

Key Quotes

“The consumer sentiment index from the Michigan survey eased slightly to 98.6 in October, but still points to consumers’ optimistic outlook and suggests the increased volatility in the equity market and rising interest rates did not dampen consumer sentiment materially.”

“We expect continued optimism in the November preliminary report. Consumer sentiment will likely be sensitive to the result of the US midterm election (6 November) and will likely be driven by a sharp partisan divide in the assessment of the economy. The impact could be captured at least partly in the final report, scheduled for release on 21 November.”

“On inflation expectations, one year and 5-10 year ahead inflation expectations inched up to 2.9% in October from 2.7% in September. 5-10 year ahead expectations eased slightly to 2.4% from 2.5%. We expect these measures to remain within a steady range.”