Ali Meli breaks down the January PPI report, which came in hot, and contrasts it with a cooler CPI. He believes AI CapEx may be showing up in PPI as data center buildout accelerates, noting that this area is “not that cost sensitive” and willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars. He anticipates a margin squeeze as a lot of these companies are also losing money on their products. Ali thinks this dynamic could force the Fed’s hand on rates and its balance sheet, and explains how.