Fed May Raise Rate Aggressively Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the consumer price index ticked up 0.5% through January 2018, beating market expectations of 0.3%. Loans to Grow The mid-month report of the University of Michigan shows that the U.S. consumer sentiment index for the month of February has not only touched a record high but has also risen more than market expectations. This clearly shows that consumers are more interested in the news of low unemployment, wage growth, and solid GDP data than the market's tumultuous movement.