US Economics Weekly Fed risking falling further behind the curve While the Fed announced tapering as expected at its meeting this week, the big surprise was how dovish the language in the statement and press conference remained, which suggests to us an increasing... 5th November 2021 · 5 mins read
US Economics Weekly Different party, same infrastructure week debacle The weakness of third-quarter GDP growth illustrates that, while demand remains strong, the economy has hit a wall of supply constraints. Ongoing product and labour shortages mean that growth will... 29th October 2021 · 8 mins read
US Economics Weekly The Great Resignation and Striketober Employees are flexing their new-found bargaining power, with the unprecedented rate of job turnover, labelled “The “Great Resignation”, triggering a surge in wage growth for job switchers. Wage growth... 22nd October 2021 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly Labour force exodus shows no sign of reversing This week brought more news that acute labour shortages and the resulting surge in wages are rapidly feeding through into the most cyclically sensitive components of the consumer price index. 15th October 2021 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly Congress hits snooze on the debt ceiling Even the more modest 194,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in September is “decent” enough for the Fed to announce at next month’s meeting that it will begin tapering its asset purchases, especially now... 8th October 2021 · 8 mins read
US Economics Weekly A week is a long time in politics Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s quip that “a week is a long time in politics”, which he made during one of the UK’s seemingly never-ending crises in the 1960s, aptly describes the Democratic Party’s... 1st October 2021 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Debt ceiling could still delay QE taper This week the focus was on the Fed, which appears intent on announcing a QE taper at the next FOMC meeting in early November. Next week the focus will shift to fiscal policy, with the Democrat’s plans... 24th September 2021 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Delta impact evident in both CPI and retail sales While the data released this week showed retail spending picking up in August as price gains moderated, the figures are still consistent with a sharp slowdown in consumption growth in the third... 17th September 2021 · 5 mins read
US Economics Weekly Labour market shortages getting worse Tapering is off the table this month and whether the Fed will make an announcement before year-end depends on the strength of employment, which is being held back by increasingly acute labour... 10th September 2021 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Delta and Ida add to headwinds With employment increasing by less than 250,000 last month and other incoming data disappointing, the recovery appears to be losing momentum even faster than our already-below consensus forecasts... 3rd September 2021 · 4 mins read
US Economics Weekly Delta spreads; consumption slows; Powell stalls The Delta-variant linked surge in coronavirus cases continues and has now spread well beyond just one or two southern states. Moreover, even in those southern states, particularly Florida, new case... 27th August 2021 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Fed still to decide on taper timeline The Fed now looks likely to begin tapering its asset purchases later this year, but the precise timing could depend on the extent of any economic drag from the continued rapid spread of the Delta... 20th August 2021 · 6 mins read
US Economics Inflation peaking; growing chance of earlier taper While the July inflation data this week added to signs that we’re past the peak of “transitory” gains in prices for used autos and reopening services, the pick-up in some of the more cyclically driven... 13th August 2021 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Infrastructure deal heads to crucial vote While many Republicans will balk at the cost of the bipartisan infrastructure package, which the CBO said would add $256bn (1.1% of GDP) to the deficit over the next decade, that is unlikely to derail... 6th August 2021 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly Recovery to slow from here The slightly disappointing second-quarter GDP data released this week and another dovish press conference from Chair Jerome Powell strengthen our belief that the Fed is unlikely to begin tapering its... 30th July 2021 · 8 mins read
US Economics Weekly Delta variant and fiscal limbo add to uncertainty Although the $600bn bipartisan infrastructure deal fell at the first hurdle in the Senate this week, centrist Republican Senators indicated that they would be willing to provide the support to... 23rd July 2021 · 7 mins read
