Coronavirus infections in the United States have surged to new highs over the past week as the long-awaited third peak of its spread arrived well before the onset of winter. … READ MORE >
A recession like no other: Total vehicle miles traveled plummets to record lows
Total vehicle miles traveled dropped by an unprecedented 10% in the 12 months through August. In this lies an opportunity to improve the nation’s air quality and shore up its infrastructure. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: What’s the real unemployment rate?
The official unemployment rate in our estimation noticeably understates what we call the pandemic unemployment rate, which we estimate is 9.2%. … READ MORE >
First-time jobless claims decline to 787,000, implying modest improvement
The pace of first-time claims for unemployment insurance declined to an elevated 787,000 for the week ending Oct. 17, strongly suggesting that the economy is slowing in the fourth quarter. … READ MORE >
Coronavirus update: The economic benefits of increased testing and tracing
As global cases of COVID-19 top 40 million and infections in the United States again breach 50,000 per day, the specter of a second wave in Europe and the United States hangs over the domestic economy. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Anticipation of pandemic demand for single-family homes
Housing starts rose in September by 1.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.4 million, the Commerce Department reported on Tuesday. … READ MORE >
RSM Monthly Index of Economic Activity shows an economy struggling to make up lost ground
We anticipate that gross domestic product in the Unites States will rebound at a 33.5% growth rate in the third quarter and 2.75% in the fourth quarter. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: A shifting holiday spending calendar
The pulling forward of Amazon Prime days to mid-October may have something to do with the changing expectations around spending, inventories and advertising ahead of the holiday season. … READ MORE >
Holiday sales to limp forward as pandemic weighs on economy
Holiday spending is likely to advance at a tepid 0.5% pace as households still reeling from the pandemic pull back on traditional and experiential holiday outlays. … READ MORE >
Agriculture sector gets a reprieve with rising foodstuff prices
Foodstuff commodity prices have recovered lost ground, returning to January levels after five straight months of declines from March to July. … READ MORE >








