Jerome Powell

Welcome back, Opening Bell crew. I'm Phil Rosen, reporting from New York City. 

This morning I'm thinking about Joseph Heller's 1961 book "Catch-22." Since it came out, the name's become a colloquial way of describing a snafu defined by conflicting ideas. 

Heller coined the term in describing a soldier who wishes to stop flying dangerous combat missions. 

But soldiers can only be grounded if they are found "unfit to fly." 

Happy Friday eve, team. Phil Rosen here. Did you catch yesterday's Fed minutes release? 

It looks like central bank officials unanimously agreed that the last rate hike of 25 basis points was the appropriate size, and that slowing down the pace would "better allow them to assess the economy's progress."

But several participants would have also backed a half-point hike, the minutes showed. 

That tells us we should be taking the Fed at its word: The inflation battle isn't over. 

Good morning, readers. I'm Phil Rosen, reporting from New York City. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes January's CPI data at 8:30 a.m. ET today. 

Economists expect inflation to have cooled to 6.2% year-over-year, down from 6.5% the prior month. 

Inflation continues to come off June's high of 9.1%, but it remains well above the Fed's 2% target. Policymakers have reiterated hawkishness on several occasions, yet markets are still acting like easing rates are a sure thing.