US Economics Update Productivity growth may still be accelerating Recent payroll employment growth is likely to be revised down in the annual revision early next year, which is unquestionably a negative. But the flip-side is that productivity growth must have been... 4th December 2019 · 2 mins read
US Economics Update Recession Watch (Nov.) The risk of a recession occurring within the next year appears to have faded – with the yield curve un-inverting, financial conditions loosening and the incoming economic data still comfortably above... 20th November 2019 · 4 mins read
US Economics Update Fed Senior Loan Officer Survey (Q4) The Fed’s latest Senior Loan Officer survey points to a continued drop off in demand for commercial and industrial loans, consistent with business equipment investment contracting again in the fourth... 5th November 2019 · 2 mins read
US Economics Update Fed cuts rates, but draws line under further loosening The Fed cut interest rates for a third time as expected today, to between 1.5% and 1.75%, but changes in the statement suggest it is trying to dissuade the markets from pricing in any further... 30th October 2019 · 3 mins read
US Economics Update Recession Watch (Oct.) With the yield curve un-inverting, our composite model indicates that the probability of a recession in 12 months’ time has fallen to 11.7%, from a recent peak of more than 20%. Nevertheless, we... 28th October 2019 · 4 mins read
US Economics Update Fed’s balance sheet heading back above $4trn The Fed’s move to begin purchasing $60bn of Treasury bills per month will eventually push the size of its balance sheet back up to $4trn over the coming year, not far below its $4.2trn peak. However... 16th October 2019 · 5 mins read
US Economics Update GM strike will deepen the manufacturing downturn The strike at General Motors, together with continued problems at Boeing, means that the incoming manufacturing data over the next month or two will go from bad to terrible. That is another reason to... 9th October 2019 · 3 mins read
US Economics Update What to make of the diverging manufacturing surveys Other surveys suggest that the ISM manufacturing index is over-playing the extent of the factory-sector slowdown. But the wider evidence suggests the outlook for manufacturers is still pretty poor. 7th October 2019 · 2 mins read
US Economics Update Recession Watch (Sep.) Our composite model suggests that the risk of a recession in 12-months’ time has fallen slightly to 17.9%, from above 20% a few weeks ago, as the rebound in the 10-year Treasury yield has reduced the... 23rd September 2019 · 4 mins read
US Economics Update Services exports are collateral damage in trade war With attention focused on the impact of tariffs on goods trade, the recent decline in services exports has gone largely unnoticed. But that has already knocked a few tenths off GDP growth and, with... 23rd September 2019 · 4 mins read
US Economics Update Fed split deepens The Fed voted to cut its key policy interest rate by an additional 25bp today, to between 1.75% and 2.00%, but the FOMC is more split than ever over what to do next. 18th September 2019 · 3 mins read
US Economics Update Trump may not like negative rates in practice President Donald Trump’s call for the Fed to slash interest rates to zero or “less”, so that the Treasury can lock-in low borrowing costs for the very long term, sounds appealing in a sustained low... 11th September 2019 · 4 mins read
US Economics Update NFIB survey points to worrying drop-off in investment The latest NFIB and JOLT surveys point to a drop in business equipment investment over the rest of the year and provide more evidence that labour market conditions are no longer tightening. 10th September 2019 · 2 mins read
US Economics Update Boost from lower rates starting to feed through The sharp fall in market interest rates over the past 12 months is starting to support the economy, with activity growth in rate-sensitive sectors like durables consumption and housing rebounding in... 9th September 2019 · 4 mins read
US Economics Update Record-high dollar not a threat to the economy Despite President Donald Trump’s complaints that the strong dollar is holding back the economy, the dollar’s rate of appreciation matters more than its level and it has risen by only 3% in trade... 22nd August 2019 · 3 mins read
US Economics Update Slowdown still more likely outcome than recession We still anticipate a modest economic downturn rather than a recession, but the spreading weakness in other parts of the global economy has increased the danger of an outright economic contraction in... 14th August 2019 · 6 mins read
