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GDP growth not quite as rosy as it seemed The acceleration in GDP growth to 2.8% annualised in the second quarter, from 1.4%, was stronger than the consensus estimate of 2.0% but not a big surprise given the Atlanta Fed GDPNow was pointing to a 2.6% gain …
26th July 2024
Core PCE inflation data strengthen case for September rate cut Core PCE prices increased by 0.18% m/m in June, largely as expected and, although May's increase was revised up slightly to 0.13%, from 0.08%, that still means inflation has been running at a …
We expect a softer 170,000 rise in non-farm payrolls in July, alongside a more substantial easing in wage growth. The 206,000 rise in non-farm payrolls in June beat expectations, but the accompanying details were disappointing. April and May’s figures …
25th July 2024
Stronger-than-expected growth unlikely to prevent September rate cut The sharper-than-expected pick-up in second-quarter GDP growth to 2.8% annualised should make the Fed a bit more comfortable about keeping policy unchanged next week, but the recent …
Disinflationary trend broadening out Fed officials growing more concerned about labour market downside risks Interest rate cut likely in September With the disinflationary trend broadening out and the unemployment rate rising, recent comments from Fed …
24th July 2024
The recent set of mild inflation data and growing concerns among Fed officials about downside risks to the labour market reinforce our view that the first interest rate cut will come in September. We forecast that core PCE inflation will return to the 2% …
22nd July 2024
After his disastrous debate performance, President Joe Biden has dropped out of the race to be re-elected in this November’s election. His withdrawal letter acknowledges Vice President Kamala Harris as “an extraordinary partner in all this” and, in a …
21st July 2024
Shelter disinflation adds to case for September rate cut Fed officials back September rate cut In comments ahead of the pre-July FOMC blackout that begins this weekend, Fed officials appeared open to a September rate cut. On Monday, Chair Jerome Powell …
19th July 2024
Manufacturing sector bucking negative tone of the surveys The rise in manufacturing output in June was better than we expected based on the small fall in hours worked, but it owed a lot to a rebound in motor vehicle production, which seems unlikely to be …
17th July 2024
Strong control group sales ease fears of consumer slump Although retail sales were unchanged in June, the strong 0.9% m/m rise in control group sales should ease concerns about the plight of the consumer in the wake of the renewed slump in sentiment. …
16th July 2024
"More good data" needed There were mixed messages from Fed Chair Jerome Powell this week in his semi-annual testimony to Congress. Powell said in his opening remarks that the “economy continues to expand at a solid pace” and the unemployment rate is …
12th July 2024
More evidence of consumer struggling. The further decline in the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index in July adds to the evidence that consumers are increasingly struggling with high interest rates. Although the link between confidence and …
PPI a lot better than it looks Ignore the fact that core PPI increased by a slightly bigger-than-expected 0.4% m/m in June and that May was revised to a 0.3% rise from unchanged. The PPI components that feed into the Fed’s preferred PCE deflator inflation …
It is not clear that Donald Trump, if elected, would gain much from trying to force Fed Chair Jerome Powell out of the role only a year before his term expires anyway. Trump might instead focus his efforts on securing Senate approval for future …
11th July 2024
CPI qualifies as ‘more good data’ The muted 0.1% m/m increase in core CPI in June strengthens the case for a September rate cut although, while a lot still depends on the PPI data due tomorrow, our initial estimate is that the core PCE deflator increased …
Powell leaves all options open Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s opening statement for his congressional testimony today offers few clues about the potential timing of interest rate cuts, with the key line that the Fed is still looking for “more good data” to …
9th July 2024
Trump now has clear lead Trump favourite to beat whomever Democrats pick Following Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, which appears to have hit his polling numbers and gone down badly with big donors, there is clearly now a good chance that he …
5th July 2024
Payrolls beats, but rest of report adds to concerns Although the 206,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in June beat the consensus at 190,000, this was more broadly a disappointing report when we factor in the 111,000 downward revision to past months and the …
Following his disastrous debate performance last week, President Joe Biden’s odds of getting re-elected have gone from bad to worse. Former President Donald Trump is now unequivocally the favourite to win this November, even if the Democrats replace Biden …
3rd July 2024
Minutes feel dated given subsequent signs of economic slowdown The minutes of the Fed’s mid-June policy meeting reveal that, not surprisingly given the split in the interest rate projections released at that time, officials were split on the outlook for …
Surveys consistent with softer growth and inflation The decline in the ISM services index to 48.8 in June, from 53.8, takes it to its lowest since the lockdowns in 2020. Alongside a decline in the ISM manufacturing index, these surveys suggest that GDP …
External trade continues to drag on GDP growth The trade deficit widened slightly to $75.1bn in May, from $74.5bn, as exports fell by 0.7% m/m, outpacing a 0.3% m/m decline in imports. Nevertheless, the decline in exports was more modest than the advance …
The rebound in residential investment over the past year will go into reverse in Q2, as housing starts and home sales slump again. We expect this weakness to persist thanks to a coming slump in new multi-family construction, which will soon gradually feed …
2nd July 2024
Despite the modest rise in job openings in May, the big picture remains that labour market conditions continue to slowly normalise, and the low quits rate still points to a sharp slowdown in wage growth. After the sharp fall in April, the marginal rise in …
More signs that the economy is struggling for momentum The ISM manufacturing index was little changed in June, leaving it consistent at face value with a small fall in GDP. While the ISM has not been a good leading indicator of GDP growth in recent years, …
1st July 2024
Biden debate woes leave Trump ahead Trump’s conviction vs Biden’s lack of conviction Joe Biden’s faltering debate performance leaves Donald Trump as the narrow favourite to win this November’s presidential election. There isn’t an alternative Democratic …
28th June 2024
Inflation fading, consumers faltering The core PCE deflator increased by only 0.08% m/m in May and, even allowing for some modest upward revisions to the gains in earlier months, that was enough to pull the annual core inflation rate down to 2.57%, from …
We expect a 200,000 increase in non-farm payrolls in June. The unemployment rate probably edged back down to 3.9%, while we expect a renewed slowdown in wage growth. The reacceleration in non-farm payroll growth to 272,000 in May was at odds with other …
27th June 2024
Durable Goods & Advance Economic Indicators (May 2024) The small fall in core orders and larger fall in underlying capital goods shipments leaves prospects for second quarter business equipment investment weaker than we had expected. The 0.1% m/m rise in …
Consumers beginning to feel the pinch Overview – We expect core inflation to be back to the 2% target by early next year, allowing the Fed to begin cutting interest rates from this September. GDP growth will remain a little lacklustre this year but, as …
25th June 2024
A return of President Trump to the White House would be a shot across the bows for global efforts to reduce emissions – particularly as he would almost certainly withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement again . But while he could deal another blow to the …
The recent encouraging inflation data reinforce our view that the Fed will cut interest rates in September. We remain confident that core inflation is heading back to the 2% target, which should allow the Fed to cut rates again in December and by even …
24th June 2024
Fiscal outlook deteriorates further Deficit going from bad to worse This week the CBO released new projections showing that the Federal deficit is expected to be $1.9trn, or 6.7% of GDP, in the current 2024 fiscal year that ends this September. (See Chart …
21st June 2024
Strong rise in manufacturing output unlikely to be repeated The strong rebound in manufacturing output in May was better than we expected but, given the softness of the earlier retail sales release, it does not change the big picture that second-quarter …
18th June 2024
Soft sales add to signs that consumers are beginning to struggle The soft May retail sales data support our view that, after a disappointing first quarter, GDP growth remains a little lacklustre in the second quarter too. Our forecast now stands at 1.9%. …
Fed split, but better data point to two rate cuts The Fed’s updated projections indicated that a slim majority of officials favour fewer than two interest rate cut this year but, in response to the soft May CPI, PPI and import price data, the markets …
14th June 2024
Plummeting sentiment suggests consumers are suffering The further decline in the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index to a seven-month low of 65.6 in June, from 69.1, suggests that households are now struggling more under the weight of higher …
Soft PPI adds to the better inflation news With the May producer price data also coming in weaker than expected, we now estimate that the core PCE deflator increased by only 0.11% m/m last month, which would take the annual core PCE inflation rate down to …
13th June 2024
Fed projects one cut this year, but notes inflation progress The median FOMC projection now shows only one 25bp rate cut this year, but it was a relatively close run thing. Four officials expect no cut this year, a further seven anticipate one cut, while …
12th June 2024
Fed forecasts one rate cut this year, but notes inflation progress This publication was resent to correct the error in the headline in an earlier version. The median FOMC projection now shows only one 25bp rate cut this year, but it was a relatively close …
First month of target-consistent price data this year Core CPI increased by a more modest 0.2%m/m in May and, although we still need to see the PPI data tomorrow, it looks like core PCE, the Fed's preferred inflation metric, increased by significantly …
We don’t think that the below-potential GDP growth implied by the recent activity data is a cause for concern yet, particularly while the labour market appears healthy. That will keep the Fed squarely focused on the inflation side of its mandate at its …
7th June 2024
Payrolls outperform, but gap with household measure growing The bigger-than-expected 272,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in May will soothe recent fears that the bottom had suddenly dropped out of the economy. With average hourly earnings increasing by 0.4% …
Net trade set to weigh on GDP again this quarter The April trade data suggest that net trade is on track to weigh on GDP growth again this quarter, but that is primarily due to continued strength in imports, which paints a better picture of domestic …
6th June 2024
ISM services index rebounds, but still consistent with lower inflation The rise in the ISM services index to 53.8 in May, from 49.4, meant that the weighted ISM index rebounded last month, despite a decline in the manufacturing index. That still leaves it …
5th June 2024
Disinflationary trend gradually reasserting itself Economy and labour market losing momentum New projections should still show one or two rate cuts this year With no prospect of the Fed adjusting policy next week, the focus of the FOMC meeting will be the …
The April JOLTS data provided further evidence of normalisation, with job openings falling further, layoffs still at historically low levels and the leading indicators all pointing to wage growth cooling. The job openings rate fell to 4.8% in April, from …
4th June 2024
Fall in ISM manufacturing index suggests economy losing momentum The drop in the ISM manufacturing index in May adds to the sense that the economy is losing momentum, while the drop back in the prices paid index should soothe concerns about a potential …
3rd June 2024
Trump conviction won’t sway the election Trump campaign won’t be decided by courts We doubt that Donald Trump’s New York felony conviction on charges of falsifying business documents will have any significant impact on the presidential election …
31st May 2024
Inflation data still too strong, but slump in real spending the bigger story As expected, the PCE deflator data suggest that, although not quite as bad as the first three months of the year, inflation was still running above target in April. At the same …