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The investment boom in new hi-tech manufacturing plants is unprecedented, but that boom still hasn’t fed through into higher output or employment in hi-tech manufacturing and investment in IT equipment has been muted in recent quarters. Software …
20th June 2023
Rebound in confidence likely to be short lived The end of the debt ceiling stand-off probably drove some of the rebound in the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index to 63.9 in early June, from 59.2. Despite that, confidence remains …
16th June 2023
The Fed put its rate hiking cycle on pause this week but, in a hawkish shift, its new projections showed the median fed funds rate rising to 5.6% by year-end, which is consistent with 50bp of additional tightening. We agree that the Fed will push ahead …
Gains in sales & output both muted The 0.3% m/m increase in retail sales included a 1.4% m/m gain in the value of motor vehicle sales, which is very hard to square with the 6.5% m/m decline in light vehicle unit sales already reported by manufacturers. …
15th June 2023
Manufacturing stagnant, but better than the drop back we had expected The 0.2% m/m decline in industrial production in May was due to a 1.8% m/m drop in utilities output and a 0.4% decline in mining. Manufacturing output increased by 0.1% m/m, which …
Sales soft, despite suspicious increase in vehicle sales The 0.3% m/m increase in retail sales included a 1.4% m/m gain in the value of motor vehicle sales, which is very hard to square with the 6.5% m/m decline in light vehicle unit sales already …
As expected, the Fed held its policy rate unchanged at between 5.00% and 5.25% today, but it made clear in the accompanying statement that pause was only to allow officials to “assess additional information and its implications for monetary policy”. In a …
Fed pauses as expected but, in hawkish move, eyes 50bp in additional rate hikes As expected, the Fed held its policy rate unchanged at between 5.00% and 5.25% today, but it made clear in the accompanying statement that pause was only to allow officials to …
14th June 2023
Core inflation still uncomfortably high Headline CPI inflation fell to a more than two-year low of 4.0% in May, thanks to favourable base effects and another sharp drop back in energy prices last month but, with core price inflation still as high as …
13th June 2023
Core inflation remains uncomfortably high for the Fed Headline CPI inflation fell to a more than two-year low of 4.0% in May, thanks to favourable base effects and another sharp drop back in energy prices last month but, with core price inflation still as …
We expect the Fed to leave interest rates unchanged at next week’s FOMC meeting but, in what could be characterised as a “hawkish skip”, to signal via forward guidance (updated SEP forecasts and language in the statement) that officials are minded to hike …
9th June 2023
June pause to be followed by July hike, taking rates to a peak of 5.25%-5.50% Labour market resilience means we now don’t expect rates to be cut until Q1 next year Fed funds target range to fall to 2.75%-3.00% by end-2024 There appears to be enough …
7th June 2023
Slump in exports to weigh on Q2 GDP growth The widening in the trade deficit to a six-month high of $74.6bn in April, from $60.6bn, means that net external trade is on track to be a big drag on second-quarter GDP growth, with the latter still tracking …
ISM surveys suggest economy has stalled In contrast to the strength of payroll employment growth last month, the fall in the ISM services index to a five-month low of 50.3 in May, from 51.9, suggests the economy is barrelling towards recession. On past …
5th June 2023
Debt ceiling ends not with a bang but a whimper The debt ceiling standoff ended not with a bang but a whimper – as the bill easily passed the House and Senate with comfortable majorities. In the end, the debt ceiling negotiations played out largely as …
2nd June 2023
Despite employment strength, unemployment up and wage growth down The bigger-than-expected 339,000 increase in non-farm payroll employment in May will dominate the headlines, but the employment report was not all positive – with a big drop in the …
Despite strength of employment, unemployment rises and wage growth moderates The bigger-than-expected 339,000 increase in non-farm payroll employment in May will dominate the headlines, but the employment report was not all positive – with a big drop in …
Recession risks remain high The slight decline in the ISM manufacturing index to 46.9 in May, from 47.1, reinforces our view that the jump in manufacturing output in April won’t be sustained. But the bigger news was the renewed plunge in the new orders …
1st June 2023
ISM survey suggest recession risks remain high The slight decline in the ISM manufacturing index to 46.9 in May, from 47.1, reinforces our view that the jump in manufacturing output in April won’t be sustained. But the bigger news was the renewed plunge …
The debt ceiling deal constitutes a modest fiscal tightening, principally because it will guarantee the resumption of student loan repayments this summer, but we aren’t worried that the post-deal surge in Treasury debt issuance will push up borrowing …
The April JOLTS data suggest that the gradual easing in labour market conditions continues, which is putting downward pressure on wage growth. Although the job openings rate edged back up to 6.1% last month, from 5.9%, the timelier data from Indeed …
31st May 2023
Although President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have finalised a deal to raise the debt ceiling, we wouldn’t be surprised if legislative delays mean that deal doesn’t get passed by Congress until late this week. There is little of any …
29th May 2023
GDI suggests economy already in recession This week’s upward revision to first-quarter GDP growth, to 1.3% annualised from 1.1%, suggests the economy had marginally more momentum than previously thought. But, in stark contrast, the first release of real …
26th May 2023
Core inflation still elevated The 0.5% m/m increase in real consumption in April got the second quarter off to a good start, although that followed two months’ of declines. We now expect second-quarter consumption growth to be around 2% annualised, which …
The debt ceiling stand-off will probably now drag on into early June, setting up the prospect of a near-default before a bipartisan bill is finally passed by Congress, possibly only after a more serious bout of market turmoil. The risk of a formal debt …
25th May 2023
We estimate that employment growth continued to trend gradually lower in May with a 200,000 rise in non-farm payrolls. Although the unemployment rate remains exceptionally low, the report should also bring further evidence that wage growth is easing. Jobs …
Some officials looking to resume rate hikes The minutes of the early May FOMC meeting reveal that although Fed officials agreed “the extent to which additional increases in the target range may be appropriate after this meeting had become less certain”, …
24th May 2023
The resilience of the April activity data and apparent stabilisation in housing have raised hopes that a recession may yet be avoided this year. That said, forward-looking indicators suggest that the huge rise in interest rates and tightening of bank …
23rd May 2023
Recent solid activity data and the apparent progress on debt ceiling negotiations appear to have convinced some Fed officials that it is still too early to pause interest rate hikes. We still aren’t convinced the Fed will hike again in June, but there is …
19th May 2023
Resilience of activity likely to fade Solid gains in retail sales and manufacturing output in April indicate that the economy remains resilient to the impact of higher interest rates and tightening lending standards. That said, real consumption growth is …
16th May 2023
Surveys suggest April strength will soon be reversed The 1.0% m/m surge in manufacturing output in April adds to the evidence that the economy enjoyed a strong start to the second quarter, helped by renewed strength in the motor vehicle sector. But the …
Real consumption growth still slowing The 0.4% m/m rebound in retail sales in April indicates that higher interest rates and tightening lending standards are yet to deal a major blow to consumers. That said, with the April gain coming after two months of …
The resilience of PCE core services ex-housing inflation is only partly due to the strength of labour market conditions, and other factors are likely to play an important role in driving it lower over the rest of this year. That should reinforce the …
15th May 2023
Core CPI inflation remains elevated The April CPI release was greeted enthusiastically by markets this week, with bond yields falling and equities rallying, even though the 0.4% m/m increase in core CPI was in line with consensus expectations. The annual …
12th May 2023
Sharp drop in confidence reflects poor expectations The tumble in the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index to 57.7 in early May, from 63.5 in April, leaves it at its lowest level since November and illustrates the impact of growing uncertainty …
Core inflation refusing to budge The 0.4% m/m gains in headline and core consumer prices in April leaves core inflation at 5.5%, broadly unchanged from its level at the start of this year, further illustrating that the previous downward trend has …
10th May 2023
Core inflation refusing to budge The 0.4% m/m gains in headline and core consumer prices in April leaves core inflation at 5.5%, broadly unchanged from its level at the start of this year, further illustrating that the previous downward trend has stalled. …
The recent turmoil in the banking sector doesn’t appear to have triggered a severe further tightening in credit conditions, but since lending standards were already being tightened to a degree only previously seen during recessions, the lack of any …
8th May 2023
The April employment report showed that while jobs growth remains solid enough, it is still trending lower and the surveys suggest activity growth is slowing too. With ongoing concerns over regional banks looking more likely to result in a further …
5th May 2023
April strength offset by downward revisions to earlier months The 253,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in April suggests that the labour market remains resilient despite the banking sector turmoil and broader signs of an economic slowdown. That said, the …
April strength offset by downward revisions to earlier months The 253,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in April suggests that the labour market remains resilient despite the banking sector turmoil and broader signs of an economic slowdown. Nevertheless, that …
Strength of exports and unit labour cost growth unlikely to last A rebound in exports drove a sharp narrowing of the international trade deficit to a four-month low of $64.2bn in March, from $70.6bn in February, but the surveys continue to suggest that …
4th May 2023
Strength of exports and unit labour cost growth unlikely to last The sharp fall in the international trade deficit to $64.2bn in March, from $70.6bn in February, was driven by a rebound in exports, but the surveys continue to suggest that renewed declines …
The Fed’s new policy statement provides the clearest hint yet that the 25bp rate hike today is likely to be the last. We expect economic weakness and a sharper-than-expected drop back in core inflation to convince officials to start cutting rates again …
3rd May 2023
Fed’s focus will turn to policy loosening before long The Fed’s new policy statement provides the clearest hint yet that the 25bp rate hike today is likely to be the last. We expect economic weakness and a sharper-than-expected drop back in core inflation …
A bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling alongside modest cuts to government spending still appears to be the most likely way out of the current impasse. It's possible that moderate Republicans will step in to help the Democrats push through a …
ISM suggests activity weak in second quarter The slight rebound in the ISM services index to 51.9 in April from 51.2 in March was broadly in line with the small gain in the ISM manufacturing index. Nevertheless, that still leaves the composite index at a …
ADP surge another sign that in April the sweetest showers fall The ADP report – suggesting that private sector employment increased by a stronger 296,000 in April, more than double the 142,000 gain the month before – is another signal that the economy …
The decline in job openings to a near two-year low of 9.6 million in March, from a peak of 12.1 million a year earlier, suggests that, even without a rise in the unemployment rate, labour market conditions are nevertheless easing and are consistent with a …
2nd May 2023
The collapse of First Republic Bank is no big surprise – it had been teetering on the edge since suffering $100bn in deposit withdrawals mostly in March – but it’s a timely reminder that banking turmoil will continue to flare up periodically. After …
1st May 2023
