US Economics Update Indicators point to labour market strength The latest improvements in small business hiring and labour market turnover indicate that the fall in the unemployment rate may be a more accurate gauge of labour market slack than the Fed currently... 11th February 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update How will the Fed's forward guidance evolve? With the unemployment rate falling to 6.6% in January, putting it very close to the Fed's threshold level of 6.5%, new Chair Janet Yellen could use her congressional testimony this week to signal how... 10th February 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Rising rents to boost core inflation Low vacancy rates, falling unemployment and faster earnings growth will drive the rents inflation higher over the next year or two. In addition to signs that wage growth is poised to accelerate, this... 6th February 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Federal budget improvement may not last The decline in the Federal budget deficit over the past few years has been impressive, but the longer-term budget challenges linked principally to the aging of the population have still to be resolved... 4th February 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Don't panic The sharp drop in January's ISM manufacturing index has led to some speculation that the US recovery might be coming off the rails, particularly as it followed an unexpectedly weak gain in payroll... 4th February 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update New PPI data won't predict CPI inflation any better The revamp of the producer prices data will provide a more comprehensive measure of pipeline price pressures, but it may not give us a greater insight into where consumer price inflation is heading. 4th February 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Mortgage demand plummets The Fed's latest Senior Loan Officer Survey indicates that the jump in borrowing costs last year is still undermining demand for residential mortgages. The more recent drop back in mortgage rates... 3rd February 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Fed continues gradual QE taper Despite last minute suggestions from some commentators that the emerging markets wobble could prompt a delay, the Fed opted to continue the gradual winding down of its asset purchases today, reducing... 29th January 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update 8 reasons why wage growth is poised to take off The current rates of wage and price inflation may be unusually low, but we are becoming increasingly concerned that the dwindling slack in the labour market will trigger a rise in wage inflation this... 23rd January 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Dec.) Broad money growth continues to slow but, given the rebound in long-term interest rates over the past six months, we suspect that moderation reflects a waning speculative demand for money and is not a... 15th January 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update America will further reduce its reliance on oil imports America will import fewer barrels of oil both this year and next but, while this will narrow the trade deficit a bit, it won’t provide a major boost to the economy. 14th January 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Fed begins gradual QE taper Our non-consensus view that the Fed would begin to wind down its monthly asset purchases without further delay in December was proved correct. As we suggested, at the conclusion of the two-day FOMC... 18th December 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Nov.) Broad money growth continues to slow very gradually but, with the annual growth rate of our M3 measure still at a healthy 5.8% in November, there is no reason for concern, particularly not when... 16th December 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Budget deal would deliver much-needed fiscal stability The modest bipartisan budget deal announced late yesterday, which would boost Federal spending by roughly $63bn over the next two years while at the same time reducing deficits by a cumulative $23bn... 11th December 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Rising wealth will boost consumption growth The recent surge in equity prices and rapid rebound in house prices are boosting household wealth and will contribute to an acceleration in consumption growth over the next two years. 10th December 2013 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Fed minutes suggest December taper not out of the question The key takeaway from the minutes of the late October FOMC meeting is that, despite the government shutdown, the Fed was still open to tapering its monthly asset purchases at the mid-December meeting. 20th November 2013 · 1 min read
