The U.S. Consumer Inflation report for July was a prime focus recently. But it came in a little cooler than expected. Our Chief Equity Strategist and Economist, John Blank, is here now to weigh in.

1. The CPI rate eased a bit in July from June. Do you see that as inflation abating?

2. If you break the data down to goods vs services, what does the picture look like?

3. Does this data remain the primary driver to Fed rate hikes?

4. What about central bank activity globally?

5. While real GDP also decreased a bit in Q2 2022, It seems as though our economy is still on a narrow path. But you say that path leads to a soft landing. What would indicate that?

6. Has the U.S economy actively cooled down?

7. Do you expect this to continue going forward or have we plateaued for a time?

8. Does the strong dollar continue to factor into this picture?

9. A few Strong Buy stocks you’re looking at include HSBC (HSBC Quick QuoteHSBC - Free Report) , BP (BP Quick QuoteBP - Free Report) and Coca Cola Femsa (KOF Quick QuoteKOF - Free Report) .

Our Chief Equity Strategist and Economist, John Blank, with another look at the economic picture. With John, I’m Terry Ruffolo.