📍 The headline looks reassuring — but the real inflation story is unfolding beneath the averages. ⸻ Hey Builders! November’s inflation report delivered what markets have been waiting for: core inflation slowed to its lowest pace since early 2021, reinforcing the idea that the Fed’s tightening cycle is finally biting (Bloomberg). December inflation data carries more weight than most months — not because it changes the past, but because it anchors expectations for the year ahead. With companies finalizing 2026 budgets, investors resetting risk assumptions, and policymakers signaling posture rather than reacting tactically, this report is less about celebration and more about positioning. Markets rallied. Yields dipped. Rate-cut expectations crept forward. But households didn’t feel a reset — and neither did businesses still navigating elevated housing, insurance, healthcare, and services costs. Inflation may be cooling, but prices remain structurally higher than they were just three years ago. That tension — between macro relief and lived reality — is the signal worth paying attention to. ⸻ 🗞 Top Story — Is Inflation Really “Solved”? The latest CPI print suggests progress — but not closure. ▪️ Core CPI rose ~2.6% year over year, the slowest pace since early 2021 (Bloomberg). ▪️ Headline CPI slowed to ~2.7%, undershooting economist expectations (Bloomberg). ▪️ Goods prices continued to soften, but services inflation — especially housing and healthcare — remains sticky (Reuters). ▪️ Markets interpreted the data as confirmation that the Fed is done hiking and moving closer to cuts in 2026 (Bloomberg). ▪️ Fed officials emphasized patience, warning against declaring victory too early (Reuters). This is a familiar macro pattern. Inflation doesn’t retreat evenly. It cools fastest where supply chains normalize — and lingers longest where labor, housing scarcity, and regulation dominate. The result is a split economy: balance sheets look healthier on paper, while affordability remains constrained in daily life. That gap matters — because it determines who actually benefits from disinflation. ⸻ ⚡ Quick Briefs — Inflation’s Second-Order Effects ▪️ Lower inflation eases pressure on enterprise budgets, accelerating selective AI and automation investment (Bloomberg). ▪️ Venture markets responded positively, but capital remains disciplined and cost-sensitive (Bloomberg). ▪️ The Fed is signaling “hold, not cut,” reinforcing a higher-for-longer stance even as inflation cools (Reuters). ▪️ Treasury yields fell after the CPI release, marginally improving debt and mortgage conditions (Bloomberg). ▪️ Wage growth is slowing alongside inflation, limiting real income gains for workers (Reuters). ▪️ Advanced economies globally are experiencing synchronized disinflation — but not synchronized affordability (IMF). 💡The takeaway: inflation may be normalizing, but pricing power hasn’t fully reset. ⸻ 🧱 Builder Insight — Read the Real Signal If you want to understand where leverage is shifting, don’t watch inflation alone — watch who still absorbs the cost. 1️⃣ Disinflation stabilizes markets — it doesn’t reverse price levels. 2️⃣ Services inflation is the last mile — and the hardest to unwind. 3️⃣ Businesses that lower total cost of ownership will outperform those chasing price cuts. 4️⃣ Workers who build skills aligned with productivity gains — not cost centers — gain mobility. Relief comes gradually. Advantage compounds quietly. ⸻ 💬 Quote of the Day “Progress on inflation is real, but the last mile is always the hardest.” Jerome Powell, Chair, Federal Reserve (Reuters) ⸻ 🎬 Closing Thought As the year closes, inflation is bending — not breaking. The winners of the next cycle won’t be those who assume prices go back to normal, but those who design systems, products, and skills for a permanently higher-cost world. Stability creates opportunity — but only for builders who understand where the pressure still lives. ⸻ 🗣️Get more from OHUB! Become an OHUBNext member for $5.99/month—unlock expanded content and instant access to the High-Growth Company Building Certificate and The BTEI Certificate™. ⸻ ⚡ OHUBNext Daily Brief — investments, edge tech, and moves that matter. For 12+ years, OHUB has been building pathways and on-ramps to multigenerational wealth — without reliance on pre-existing wealth. Through exposure, skills, entrepreneurship, capital markets, and inclusive ecosystems, we’ve helped people create new jobs, new companies, and new wealth.