A decisive slip below the 1.75% to 1.90% support band could nudge inflation expectations back toward pre-pandemic norms, while markets await CPI data for the next signal.
As of July 16, inflation expectations in the United States, which had surged after the start of the war with Iran, have been slowly declining for more than two months – and technical analysis suggests that encouraging data on price growth this week could bring them closer to a decisive technical threshold.
In the short term, expectations are determined by two-year breakeven rates, measured as the difference between the yields on ordinary Treasuries and inflation-protected Treasuries. In March and April they rose after the escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran and reached a peak of about 3.15% in early May. After that, rates declined and fell to around 1.94% before rising again amid concerns about renewed escalation of the conflict.
On Tuesday, data showed that consumer prices in June fell by 0.4%, reviving the downward trend and pushing the breakeven rate down to 1.85%. This level sits inside a zone that analysts call structural support – a price range through which the market cannot break in either direction. The range itself runs roughly from 1.75% to 1.90%, it has served as a floor since August 2024 and was once the upper bound in January 2020.
A decisive move below this support could signal inflation expectations returning to what they were before the pandemic, when breakeven rates typically ranged between 1.0% and 2.0%.
What the Chart Shows
Two-year breakeven rates have fallen from a peak near 3.15% in May to 1.85% after this week’s price data.
The level of 1.85% sits inside the long-standing structural support in the 1.75%–1.90% range.
Further prolonged moves below this range could bring inflation expectations back to pre-pandemic bounds, which typically ranged between 1.0% and 2.0%.
Market analysts say that the further trajectory will depend on upcoming price data and developments in global factors.