US Economics Weekly Jobs market health still in question ahead of Jan payrolls This week's slew of soft labour market data releases – including a further slump in job openings, higher weekly jobless claims, and a rebound in Challenger job cut announcements – has resurfaced... 6th February 2026 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Warsh faces an uphill battle at the Fed There was “broad support” among the FOMC to leave the fed funds target range unchanged at between 3.50% and 3.75% at this week’s meeting. Non-voting participants, according to Chair Jerome Powell... 30th January 2026 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly Next Fed chair to inherit a roaring economy We’ll be waiting at least another month now for the Supreme Court ruling on the legality of President Trump’s IEEPA-related tariffs. That means we’re on Fed Chair watch next week, to see if Trump... 23rd January 2026 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly Wait for the SCOTUS tariff ruling continues The wait continues for the Supreme Court’s judgement on the legality of President Trump’s IEEPA-invoked tariffs. If those tariffs are ruled to be illegal, we think Trump will be able to replace a lot... 16th January 2026 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly Productivity boom: this time it's structural The latest surge in productivity suggests the AI boom is providing lasting benefits to the US economy that go well beyond just the value of investment in data centres. Non-farm business productivity... 9th January 2026 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Distorted data makes it hard to read the macro tea leaves The final full week of the year delivered a smorgasbord of shutdown-affected data releases, some fresher than others and some downright rotten. We doubt this new batch of data will have any major... 19th December 2025 · 9 mins read
US Economics Weekly ICT services still riding the AI boom The Quarterly Services Survey report, released to little fanfare this Thursday, suggests that third-quarter GDP growth was as strong as 4.5% annualised, driven again by AI-related double-digit... 12th December 2025 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Manufacturing outcomes diverging amid tariff cocktail While the latest data show the manufacturing sector struggling as a whole, the patchwork nature of the tariff system means some industries are faring better than others. This divergence could be... 5th December 2025 · 5 mins read
US Economics Weekly Uncertainty over next Fed Chair clouds rate outlook The outlook for fed policy next year will depend not only on the economic outlook, but also whether a new Trump-appointed Fed Chair, from May, can convince his colleagues that rates should be cut... 26th November 2025 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Fed Dec rate cut decision going down to the wire The minutes of the October FOMC meeting were unusually blunt, warning that “many” Fed participants thought it would be appropriate to leave rates unchanged for the rest of the year. Nevertheless, the... 21st November 2025 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly Normal service resumes in Washington We are sending this Weekly again to include the dates and previews of the post-shutdown data releases that have been announced so far With the federal government reopened, the task now is to assess... 14th November 2025 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Trump tariffs on thin ice The Supreme Court justices appeared sceptical this week that President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose sweeping reciprocal tariffs was legal. If the Court rules against Trump invoking... 7th November 2025 · 4 mins read
US Economics Weekly December rate cut still the most likely outcome The Fed delivered a hawkish rate cut this week, with Chair Jerome Powell pushing back against market expectations for another at the next FOMC meeting. Nevertheless, we would argue that it makes more... 31st October 2025 · 7 mins read
US Economics Weekly Record shutdown would still have little impact The Federal government shutdown is headed into a fourth week. With the Senate still holding periodic votes that are doomed to fail – as lawmakers remain firmly split along party lines – and with the... 24th October 2025 · 4 mins read
US Economics Weekly Fed on autopilot through shutdown fog Comments from Chair Powell and various other FOMC participants confirm the federal funds rate will be lowered again later this month in spite of the recent rebound in surveyed hiring intentions. We... 17th October 2025 · 5 mins read
US Economics Weekly Little consumption upside from home refinancing uptick The extent to which the recent drop in mortgage rates and flurry of home refinancing can boost consumption is limited, as most homeowners still hold pandemic-era sub-4% loans. While there is some... 10th October 2025 · 7 mins read
