Semiconductors are leading one of the most explosive equity rallies in years. Fundamentals are keeping pace, giving strength to the rally’s durability.
US PPI, a measure of inflation at the producer level, rose to 6% year on year in April, the highest since December 2022 and well above market expectations. Energy price inflation also rose sharply since March. The data suggest that the war in the Middle East is beginning to feed into the real economy through higher input costs for companies, raising the risk that these costs may be passed on to consumers.