Liz Ann Sonders compares the CPI and PPI reports from this week to get a look at U.S. inflation. She argues that it seems like companies are absorbing costs rather than passing them on to consumers right now, keeping inflation from jumping. She says that more than this data, upcoming labor data will decide whether the Fed cuts rates in September. Liz Ann points to CEO sentiment climbing but still in “contraction” and argues it represents “normalization in the aftermath of the extreme plunge in confidence” that came after the April tariffs announcement.