This Friday, the US Department of Commerce will release the May Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index. As the most closely watched inflation indicator by the Federal Reserve, the level of PCE data influences the pace of future interest rate hikes and creates significant volatility in markets such as stocks and foreign exchange.
The latest data shows that the US core PCE (excluding food and energy) increased by 4.7% year-on-year in April, still a considerable distance away from the Federal Reserve's 2% inflation target.

【Source: MacroMicro】
The current market expects the May PCE to decrease from 4.4% to 3.8%, while the core PCE is expected to remain elevated at 4.7%. However, is it possible for the data to exceed expectations? We believe there is still a significant possibility.
The key to core inflation lies in the service sector excluding real estate. Due to population shortages caused by the pandemic and the resurgence of the tourism industry, inflation in the service sector has been steadily rising since last year. Looking at the US Travel and Leisure Index, the tourism industry in the US is still booming, and there won't be a noticeable decline in labor demand.

【Source: moomoo Dow Jones U.S. Travel and Leisure Index】
With labor demand staying high and wage growth remaining stagnant, it will be challenging for inflation to come down. Goldman Sachs states that the market's expectations for the speed of inflation decline in the US are too optimistic.