LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Euro zone bond yields were little changed on Wednesday after U.S. consumer prices rose slightly in July, supporting expectations for a quarter-point September rate cut from the Federal Reserve but possibly not justifying a larger move.
The consumer price index increased 0.2% last month after falling 0.1% in June, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Wednesday. In the 12 months through July, the CPI increased 2.9% after advancing 3.0% the month before.
"It seems rather unlikely that the inflation figures will materially alter the policy outlook, though the data does likely help to provide officials with further confidence in the disinflationary process," said Michael Brown, senior research strategist at Pepperstone.
Germany's 10-year bond yield was little changed at 2.179%, slightly lower than where it was before the data. Yields move inversely to prices.
The benchmark German yield has fallen sharply from a roughly six-month high of 2.707% in May as euro zone and U.S. inflation has cooled, reassuring investors that further European Central Bank rate cuts are coming this year.
The size and importance of the U.S. economy and dollar means American data often moves bond yields and interest rate expectations around the world.
"Today's U.S. inflation figure clears the runway for the Federal Reserve to initiate a rate cut at its September meeting," said Richard Carter, head of fixed interest research at Quilter Cheviot.
"Where there is still a disconnect, as there was at the beginning of the year, is in the expected pace of these rate cuts," Carter added.
Interest rate futures are fully pricing a 25 basis point (bp) cut from the Fed in September, with around a 45% chance of a larger 50 bp move.
Markets are also still pricing over 100 bps of easing by year-end, implying at least a quarter-point rate cut at all three meetings, including one outsized 50 bp cut, but Carter thinks this may be too much.
"The economic picture is one of a weaker consumer and businesses coming under pressure, but they remain stable enough and as such rates will not come down quickly," he said.
Meanwhile, French inflation for July was revised slightly higher to 2.7% year-on-year on Wednesday, putting a touch of upward pressure on bond yields in the European morning.
Italy's 10-year yield was flat at 3.57%, and the gap between Italian and German bond yields was steady at 138 bps.
Germany's two-year bond yield, which is more sensitive to ECB rate expectations, rose 1.5 bps to 2.354%.
Bond yields have bounced around over the last week and a half as fears about a slowdown in the U.S. labor market, and the unwinding of some of this year's biggest equity and currency trades, have injected volatility into financial markets.
Investors have, however, been reassured by cooler inflation data, with bond yields falling and stocks rising on Tuesday after U.S. producer price figures came in softer than expected.
Traders on Wednesday were expecting around 70 bps of further interest rate cuts from the ECB this year, after a 25 bp reduction to 3.75% in June, little changed from Monday and Tuesday. (Reporting by Harry Robertson and Samuel Indyk; Editing by David Holmes, Mark Potter and David Evans)
