US Economics Weekly Strong pace of sales growth also supports QE taper Last week we learned that business inventories and sales both posted sizeable gains in October, while the retail sales figures showed another decent gain in November. As a result, we now expect fourth... 16th December 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Economic growth gathering momentum Last week's upward revision to third-quarter GDP growth to 3.6% annualised, from the initial 2.8% estimate, prompted a number of forecasters to lower their forecasts for fourth-quarter GDP growth, in... 9th December 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Cutting the IOER rate would be too risky Cutting the interest on excess reserves (IOER) rate may seem like a simple way for the Fed to signal its intent to leave short rates at near-zero for several more years, at the same time as it begins... 2nd December 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Fed looking to change the mix rather than stance of policy The Fed is clearly looking to offset the market impact from any decision to wind down its asset purchases by strengthening its commitment to leave its policy rate at near-zero for several more years... 25th November 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Boost to spending from lower gasoline prices will be small The recent decline in gasoline prices has prompted speculation that it could provide a very timely boost to real income and spending. Gasoline prices normally decline at this time of year, however, so... 18th November 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Moving the goal posts could dent the Fed's credibility Lowering the unemployment rate threshold would appear to be a neat way for the Fed to commit to leaving interest rates at near-zero for longer and perhaps offset any tightening in financial conditions... 11th November 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Recovery slowly gathering momentum as fiscal drag fades The incoming data suggest that labour market conditions remain soft, but the wider economic recovery does appear to be strengthening, as the severity of the fiscal drag begins to fade. Admittedly, our... 4th November 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly What's behind the slowdown in jobs growth? A satisfactory explanation for the easing in jobs growth is hard to find, but a fading of the fiscal drag and a further pick up in overseas demand means it probably won’t be sustained for long. We... 28th October 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly New budget committee not necessarily DOA The new budget conference committee has been written off as dead on arrival by most people before it even starts work. Given the dysfunctional state of Congress and the failure of the deficit... 21st October 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Crunch time It’s good news that Congress appears to be moving towards a deal to raise the debt ceiling, but the solution currently being discussed is far from perfect. The biggest problem is that the Republican... 14th October 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Shutdown could continue until debt ceiling deadline Congress appears to be no closer to resolving the now week-old government shutdown. Our best guess is that a comprehensive agreement will be reached sometime close to the 17th October debt ceiling... 7th October 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly This is no way to run a country Even if Congress can reach an agreement to renew the Federal government's spending authority before it expires this Monday, which is looking increasingly unlikely, there is a much more serious battle... 30th September 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Fed fails to understand that sometimes, less is more We were a little surprised by the Fed's conclusion last week that it wasn't ready to begin tapering its asset purchases. As we wrote in our Fed Watch ahead of the meeting, however, a tapering was "far... 23rd September 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Labour market still strengthening It should only be a matter of time before the recent fall in the number of people losing their job is followed by a rise in the number of people finding a job. Less firing and more hiring is obviously... 16th September 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Fannie, Freddie and financial repression The proposed winding down of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-owned mortgage finance companies, is normally framed in terms of protecting taxpayers from having to pick up the tab in the... 9th September 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Global developments unlikely to influence Fed tapering Recent global and domestic developments are more likely to lead the Fed to taper QE3 by a relatively small amount at September’s policy meeting rather than prompt it to hold fire until October or... 2nd September 2013 · 1 min read
