US Economics Update Q3 GDP growth treat included a seasonal adjustment trick The reported leap in third-quarter defence spending, which added 0.7 percentage points to annualised GDP growth was, as far as we can tell, largely due to a failure of the BEA’s seasonal adjustment... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Faster wage growth could prompt Fed to hike rates The survey-based and anecdotal evidence has been pointing to a sharp acceleration in wage growth for some time, yet the growth rate of the monthly average hourly earnings measure has remained... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Focus Weighing up the FHFA’s mortgage proposals Proposals to lower the minimum down-payment on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed mortgages at the same time as reducing banks’ exposure to put-back risk may help accelerate the modest loosening in... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Stronger activity data increasingly hard to ignore With QE3 done and dusted, the Fed has emphasised that the incoming economic data will determine when interest rates first rise. Our forecasts that the unemployment rate will fall faster than the Fed... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
US Employment Report Preview Going from strength to strength There’s a good chance that October’s Employment Report will send a very strong signal that, despite the recent signs of some softening in overseas demand, the US economy continues to grow at a rapid... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
US Data Response GDP (Q3 1st Estimate) The better than expected 3.5% annualised rise in third-quarter GDP, which was above the 3.0% consensus forecast and even our own 3.3% call, illustrates that the Fed was right to adopt a slightly more... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Fed halts QE3 and takes slightly more hawkish stance As expected, the Fed today announced an end to its third round of large-scale asset purchases (aka QE3). Slightly less expected, however, is that despite the recent market volatility, the statement... 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Monetary conditions set to remain loose The likely end of the Fed’s asset purchases under QE3 does little to change the bigger picture that global monetary conditions remain very loose. 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Revising down our core inflation forecasts The indirect impact on core inflation from the recent fall in energy prices is one more reason why coreinflation won’t increase as fast as we previously expected. Nonetheless, we still think that both... 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
US Data Response Conference Board Consumer Confidence (Oct.) The leap in the Conference Board measure of consumer confidence in October to a seven-year high suggests that households are becoming more upbeat just as the crucial holiday shopping season draws... 28th October 2014 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Homeownership & Vacancy Rates & Case-Shiller (Q3/Aug.) Today’s housing market data revealed a further slowdown in underlying house price growth, but the outlook for rental value growth is strengthening. 28th October 2014 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Support from the Fed’s QE is not about to disappear The widely anticipated completion of the Fed’s purchases under QE3 need not mark the end of the policy’s support for global asset prices. As it happens, QE3 was not much of a boon to emerging markets... 28th October 2014 · 1 min read
US Data Response Durable Goods (Sep.) The rebound in orders for new durable goods in May will help ease any fears that the economy is headed for a double-dip recession. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the broader picture that economic... 28th October 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Economic Outlook Lower oil price adds to risks Alongside the potential for a sharp correction in the domestic housing market, the recent slump in crude oil prices represents a second risk to the Canadian economic outlook. We expect GDP growth to... 27th October 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Still waiting for that elusive economic rebound The recent run of weak data confirms that the economy fared even worse in August after barely growing in July. Encouragingly, leading indicators point to a spectacular rebound in September, though it... 27th October 2014 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response New Home Sales (Sep.) New home sales stalled in September, following the previous month’s jump. But with the economic backdrop still favourable and mortgage rates low, we expect sales will resume their upwards trend soon. 24th October 2014 · 1 min read
