It's all about the wages
The fed hike case is built on a strong consumer led recovery. That's good when people have money to spend, and when wages give them that money to spend. The wages (average hourly earnings) in the jobs reports report showed pay running at a decent 2.8% y/y. Today we get the inflation adjusted wage numbers in the CPI report and they don't look as hot.
Last month, year on year real average weekly wages dropped for the first time since the start of 2014.
US real average weekly wages y/y
That's not good news for the supposedly strong consumer and rate hikes won't make the situation any better.
I'm quite surprised that the Fed will be raising so quickly after the Dec hike instead of letting that hike filter through, and monitoring the effects. To me that suggests that behind the scenes there's something they are worried about. If they're willing to hike in a moment when their whole basis for hikes (the consumer) might start finding things tougher, there's something amiss.
It's a straw clutch to try and find anything that could derail the hike tonight but there's plenty of evidence in why they might throw in some additional caution about future hikes, and the wages numbers today may aid that sentiment.
