Pre-print brief — July 2026 CPI
Generated 2026-08-07 · release 2026-08-12 (T-5d) · market july-inflation-us-annual-20260714150613267 · model hcal-v2.0
The call
Model: 3.43% YoY (σ 0.13, as of 2026-08-07) → 3.4% (41%) / 3.3% (27%).
Market: 3.4% (46%) / 3.3% (32%).
Distribution and what each bucket means
| bucket | p_model | p_market | edge | implied NSA MoM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≤3.1% | 2.2% | 2.2% | -0.0% | -0.31% |
| 3.2% | 4.7% | 5.0% | -0.2% | -0.17% |
| 3.3% | 27.1% | 32.5% | -5.4% | -0.07% |
| 3.4% | 41.5% | 45.5% | -4.0% | +0.02% |
| 3.5% | 18.9% | 16.5% | +2.4% | +0.12% |
| 3.6% | 3.2% | 1.1% | +2.1% | +0.22% |
| 3.7% | 1.1% | 0.4% | +0.7% | +0.31% |
| 3.8% | 0.5% | 0.3% | +0.2% | +0.41% |
| 3.9% | 0.4% | 0.3% | +0.1% | +0.51% |
| 4.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% | +0.0% | +0.60% |
| 4.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | +0.0% | +0.70% |
| ≥4.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% | +0.0% | +0.85% |
Realized NSA MoM run-rate: April 2026: +0.85%, May 2026: +0.63%, June 2026: -0.35%.
Nowcast trajectory (Cleveland Fed, this target month)
2026-07-01: 3.524 → 2026-08-07: 3.419 (drift -0.105 over 28 obs)
2026-07-23 3.372 2026-07-24 3.372 2026-07-27 3.372 2026-07-28 3.372 2026-07-29 3.419 2026-07-30 3.419 2026-07-31 3.419 2026-08-03 3.419 2026-08-04 3.419 2026-08-05 3.419 2026-08-06 3.419 2026-08-07 3.419
Scoreboard context
Retro record at T-7 over 20 prints: log-loss edge -0.026 (market ahead of model). Treat model-market divergence with that prior.
Decision taken
NO_TRADE — no bucket cleared the fee-adjusted edge threshold
Skipped buckets
- 3.5%: edge +0.020 below threshold 0.05
- 3.6%: entry 1.1c < 2c — lottery ticket
- 3.7%: entry 0.4c < 2c — lottery ticket
- 3.8%: entry 0.3c < 2c — lottery ticket
- 3.9%: entry 0.3c < 2c — lottery ticket
- 4.0%: entry 0.1c < 2c — lottery ticket
- 4.1%: entry 0.1c < 2c — lottery ticket
- ≥4.2%: entry 0.1c < 2c — lottery ticket
Input freshness
apartmentlist_rent_national: 2026-07-01 (37d old) _(monitored only — not a model input)_bls_cpi_index_nsa: 2026-07-14 (24d old)cleveland_fed_nowcast_cpi_yoy: 2026-08-07 (0d old)eia_gasoline_regular_retail: 2026-08-03 (4d old)manheim_used_vehicle_index: 2026-06-01 (67d old) ⚠️ STALE _(monitored only — not a model input)_zillow_zori_national: 2026-06-01 (67d old) _(monitored only — not a model input)_