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Inflation Expectations: 5Y/5Y Forward Explained
2 min read

Inflation Expectations: 5Y/5Y Forward Explained

We often hear the term inflation expectations, but many might wonder where exactly do they get that data and what is it telling us today?
Inflation Expectations: 5Y/5Y Forward Explained

We often hear the term inflation expectations, but many might wonder where exactly do they get that data and what is it telling us today? Do they get it from surveys or some sort of forward forecast of past data? No, it comes from the 5-Year, 5-Year Forward Inflation Expectation Rate. This is the metric that is widely regarded as inflation expectations and can be used for all major economies separately.

The 5Y/5Y forward uses the difference in market interest rates for a period of 5 years, starting 5 years in the future. In general, it is as an average 10Y bond interest rate minus an average 5Y bond interest rate. Currently, in 2020 we take actual market interest rates with a maturity date of 2030 and subtract the rates for 2025.

It's not exactly that simple, but close. For those who are interested in the formula to calculate the 5Y/5Y Forward, you can find it on the Fred website linked above, and is written as follows.

( ( ( [(1+((BC_10YEAR-TC_10YEAR)/100) )^10] / [ (1+((BC_5YEAR-TC_5YEAR)/100) )^5] )^0.2) -1)*100

where BC10_YEAR, TC_10YEAR, BC_5YEAR, and TC_5YEAR are the 10 year and 5 year nominal and inflation adjusted Treasury securities.

What the 5Y/5Y forward is telling us today

You might think with all the news of Biblical floods of money printing that inflation expectations are off the charts. Inflationists everywhere are telling us that the end of the dollar is nigh and inflation will be the killer. Even most bitcoin investors see inflation of the dollar as the only route to end of the dollar and the takeover by bitcoin.

They are all wrong. The global economy is stuck in the grips of an overindebted deflation. Money is credit and credit is not expanding, therefore no inflation. It doesn't matter how you slice it.

What is the 5Y/5Y forward rate telling us?

At first glimpse of the chart, we can see the two dips around the two recessions, the Great Financial Crisis (GFC) and the 2020 Recession. But what else can we see? The current inflation expectation rate is less than 2% AFTER 12 years of "money printing!?" In fact, it is lower today than almost any other period in the last 12 years!

We can see a consistent move lower for the last 8 years. Even after the Fed pulled out all the stops in QE1 - 3, Operation Twist, hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign bank currency swaps, buying corporate securities, and QEternity, the investors with skin in the game, putting their money where their mouth is, are telling us inflation will not exceed 2%!?

The only time, since the GFC, where we had lower inflation expectations was briefly in 2016. How is that possible if QE and fiscal stimulus are inflationary?

It's not.

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