US Economics Weekly Economy starts the year on a strong footing Echoing the unexpectedly large increase in payroll employment last month, January’s retail sales and manufacturing output data were unquestionably strong too. Admittedly, retail sales appear to have... 17th February 2023 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Markets coming round to the Fed’s view on rates Markets have continued to swing round to the Fed’s view that rate cuts are unlikely this year. We still believe that those cuts are coming, however, as economic growth disappoints and core inflation... 10th February 2023 · 9 mins read
US Economics Weekly The opposite of stagflation The strength of the early January data appears to rule out the possibility of an imminent recession, but that won’t prevent inflation from continuing to fall sharply from here. 3rd February 2023 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly Fed close to peak in rates as activity stagnates Commentators were quick to dismiss the latest decline in the leading indicators index, which left it pointing unambiguously to a recession. But despite the apparent resilience of fourth-quarter GDP... 27th January 2023 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Activity data take a turn for the worse The weakness of retail sales and manufacturing output over the final two months of 2022 has reignited market fears of a hard landing this week, with the Fed’s latest Beige Book acknowledging that... 20th January 2023 · 8 mins read
US Economics Weekly Core inflation moderates as labour tightness fades The 0.1% m/m decline in headline CPI in December was principally due to a 9.4% m/m drop in gasoline prices, but core consumer prices also increased by a more modest 0.3% m/m, extending the run of... 13th January 2023 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Activity weakening, despite labour market resilience The data this week suggested that the weak global backdrop is being compounded by a deterioration in domestic activity, although the labour market still appears to be in good health. Drop-Ins – The... 6th January 2023 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly 2023: recession, disinflation… and debt ceiling crisis? This week brought further signs of slowing activity growth and falling inflation, trends we expect to intensify next year. Meanwhile, Congress has averted a government shutdown, but there appears to... 23rd December 2022 · 10 mins read
US Economics Weekly Markets not waiting for Fed to catch up with reality Despite the Fed’s continued hawkishness, the further softening in core inflation and weakness of the early activity data in November leave us more convinced that the FOMC will be cutting interest... 16th December 2022 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Fed could be upstaged by CPI data The Fed is used to holding centre stage, but next Wednesday’s policy announcement could end up being overshadowed by the November CPI data, due for release on Tuesday. If we’re right and core prices... 9th December 2022 · 8 mins read
US Economics Weekly Global downturn taking its toll on exports With weaker growth overseas and the drag from the stronger dollar now pushing exports lower, the resilience of consumption is the only thing keeping the economy from falling into recession. 2nd December 2022 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Recession odds rising Despite the resilience evident in the latest round of hard data, our recession tracker models suggest the odds of a downturn next year are still rising. 23rd November 2022 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly The Fed strikes back This week Fed officials pushed back against the market rally in the wake of October’s unexpectedly weak CPI report, but with only limited success. Despite officials reaffirming that they still had “a... 18th November 2022 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly Midterms a mixed bag; disinflation begins in earnest While the outcome of the midterms remains unclear, far more important for the economy was October’s softer-than-expected core CPI data, which support our view that the Fed won’t need to raise interest... 11th November 2022 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Fed’s dovish turn is still coming, eventually This week’s FOMC meeting may have dashed hopes that the Fed will follow the recent dovish tilts of some other central banks. But we still think Fed officials are underestimating the degree to which... 4th November 2022 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Faltering economy will contribute to Fed pivot The 2.6% annualised rise in third quarter GDP was a lot worse than it looked, with growth in underlying demand grinding to a near-halt. At the same time, there are mounting signs that economic... 28th October 2022 · 9 mins read
