Happy Halloween!  The two-day Fed meeting kicks off today, with the monetary policy statement being released tomorrow.  Does that come as a surprise to you?  That’s because nobody’s talking about it.  Though there is always a possibility of a surprise attack tomorrow, all ears are awaiting for the promised rate hike at December’s meeting.

A little bit of mixed news in inflation numbers today.  Consumer Prices in Europe are at a 1.4% gain, a little lower than they have been, and a little less than expected.  Domestically, the Employment Cost Index (a favorite of 5-term Fed Chair Alan Greenspan) rose 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, for a 2.5% year-over-year advance.  Speaking of the Fed, still: President Trump will announce the next Fed Chair on Thursday.  It’s expected to be someone other than Janet Yellen

Lastly, the Case-Shiller Home Price Index shows an annual gain of 6.1%, up from 5.9% last month.  The Case-Shiller Index tracks 20 major cities across all nine U.S. Census divisions and tends to be a little late to report, making it one of the more accurate measures of home price fluctuation.