Economic Outlook: April 12, 2019

The wish for a one-armed economist has re-surfaced. 

-- On one hand, the 2017 Census of Agriculture revealed a 3 percent drop in the number of farms since 2012. On the other hand, the same number of acres are being farmed.

The consumer price index rose 0.4 percent. Without food and energy in the mix, Core CPI bumped 0.1 percent higher. On the other hand, inflation appears to be in check.

The Fed is planning to leave interest rates unchanged for the rest of the year. On the other hand, the FOMC will raise rates if inflation gets out of control. --