Let’s see the numbers. 
Welcome to the Know the Difference Minute for Thursday, February 16th.
Data-dependent. You’ll hear that phrase a lot—especially with the Federal Reserve and interest rates. Prices, employment, and spending are all factors. 
The CPI—or Consumer Price Index—was down slightly but far from ideal. CPI tells us about inflation looking backward.  
PPI—or Producer Price Index is a measure of what goods fetch on an open market—basically, what businesses pay to make their products. PPI isn’t as closely followed as other metrics, but it can be a leading indicator. It also can forecast inflation moving forward. 
What’s the latest data?  The retail spending report yesterday was strong. Today, PPI came in higher. So were initial jobless claims.  This isn’t data the Fed wanted to see. How it reacts when it comes to the next hike will be closely watched.  
I’m Dave Spano from Annex Wealth Management.  That is your Know the Difference Minute.