US Data Response ISM Manufacturing Index (May) The rise in the ISM manufacturing index to 56.1 in May, from 55.4, was better than we had anticipated and suggests a continued easing of supply shortages is supporting activity. But we expect a... 1st June 2022 · 2 mins read
US Chart Pack Economy powering ahead The strength of the hard activity data for April refutes the recent message from financial markets that the economy is at risk of imminent recession. The solid gain in control group retail sales... 18th May 2022 · 8 mins read
US Data Response Consumer Prices (Apr.) The falls in headline and core inflation in April marks the beginning of a sustained decline, as base effects improve and supply shortages ease, although the 0.6% monthly jump in core prices indicates... 11th May 2022 · 2 mins read
US Economics Focus What to expect from QT We expect the Fed to reduce its asset holdings by more than $3trn over the next couple of years, enough to bring the balance sheet back in line with its pre-pandemic level as a share of GDP. That... 10th May 2022 · 12 mins read
US Data Response International Trade (Mar.) The surge in the trade deficit to a record high of $109.8bn in March, from $89.8bn, was driven by a huge rise in imports as port congestion cleared. We suspect imports will fall back over the coming... 4th May 2022 · 2 mins read
US Employment Report Preview Labour demand will continue to cool We expect that employment growth continued to trend lower in April, with non-farm payrolls rising by 375,000. Alongside rebounding participation, that easing in labour demand looks set to drive wage... 28th April 2022 · 3 mins read
US Economics Weekly Fed set to push harder on the brakes With Fed officials seemingly competing to try and sound more hawkish than their peers, a 50bp rate hike next month appears nailed on – even though this week also brought further tentative signs that... 22nd April 2022 · 6 mins read
US Chart Pack Better news on inflation won’t stop the Fed While we are confident that inflation will fall back sharply in the second half of this year, that will not stop the Fed delivering a series of 50bp rate hikes at its upcoming meetings. Although... 20th April 2022 · 9 mins read
US Data Response Retail Sales (Mar.) The 0.5% m/m rise in retail sales in March was flattered by a price-related surge in the nominal value of gasoline sales, with the details suggesting that consumption fell in real terms. 14th April 2022 · 2 mins read
US Economic Outlook Economy will bend not break under higher rates We expect the economy to bend rather than break under the pressure of a rapid monetary tightening by the Fed. We anticipate that real economic growth will remain consistently below its 2% potential... 12th April 2022 · 22 mins read
US Data Response Consumer Prices (Mar.) The surge in energy prices helped drive headline CPI inflation up to a 40-year high of 8.5% in March but, with base effects set to become much more favourable and signs that monthly gains in core... 12th April 2022 · 3 mins read
US Data Response International Trade (Feb.) Although the nominal trade deficit was unchanged at $89.2bn in February specifically, the recent weakness of real exports suggests that net trade was a substantial drag on first-quarter GDP growth. 5th April 2022 · 2 mins read
US Employment Report Preview Employment growth set for gradual slowdown We estimate that non-farm payrolls increased by 450,000 in March, marking the beginning of a gradual slowdown. The report should also provide further evidence that wage pressures are starting to ease. 24th March 2022 · 3 mins read
US Data Response Durable Goods (Feb.) The February durable goods orders data were weaker than we had expected, even controlling for the slump in commercial aircraft orders, but the details are still consistent with first-quarter business... 24th March 2022 · 2 mins read
US Chart Pack Inflation to fall sharply in H2 While the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russian oil mean energy prices will remain elevated and push headline inflation above 8% in March, it will still fall sharply later this year. Energy... 23rd March 2022 · 8 mins read
US Data Response Retail Sales (Feb.) The muted 0.3% m/m rise in retail sales in February was largely offset by the upward revision to January’s gain which, overall, suggests that real consumption growth remains solid. With the sharp drop... 16th March 2022 · 2 mins read