March’s retail sales added substantial downside risks to our forecast for economic growth that will most likely dip below 1% in the first quarter. … READ MORE >
Blog
The illusion of inventory and price controls in the current economy
Disruptions of supply chains have renewed calls for political authorities to do something about soaring prices. Is this the time for price controls? No. … READ MORE >
Bank of Canada raises rates by a half percentage point
In an effort to target inflation that is at its highest level in decades, the Bank of Canada on Wednesday increased its policy interest rate by 50 basis points, to 1%, and said it would begin to reduce its balance sheet, known as quantitative tightening. … READ MORE >
Domestic producer prices rose 11.2% in March amid Ukraine war
The producer price index for final goods and services rose 11.2% from a year ago, posting double digit growth for the third month in row. For March alone, the prices for the same products shot up by 1.4%, from 0.9% in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Wednesday. … READ MORE >
Inflation marches higher, hitting 8.5% compared to a year ago
Long ago and far away, it was once taught that inflation has long and variable lags. That still probably applies when setting policy, managing a portfolio or making longer-term investments as top-line inflation jumped by 1.2% in March to 8.5% on a year-ago basis, according to government data released Tuesday. … … READ MORE >
5 things to know in life sciences: Week of April 4, 2022
From artificial intelligence opportunities to the rapidly growing market for virtual trials, each week we share five things to know in life sciences. … READ MORE >
Canada’s unemployment rate lowest in nearly five decades
Canada added 73,000 jobs in March, a relatively modest gain that still helped push the unemployment rate down to 5.3%, the lowest since 1976. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Initial jobless claims lowest in 54 years
New filings for jobless benefits fell to 166,000 last week—the fewest since 1968—as millions of job vacancies remained unfilled, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. … READ MORE >
FOMC minutes: Fed prepares to shift its policy normalization into a higher gear
The Federal Reserve is preparing to launch the next phase of its policy normalization by drawing down its balance sheet as soon as May to boost rates out along the maturity spectrum. … READ MORE >
Consumer products M&A insights from the first quarter
After a strong 2021, consumer products deal activity contracted in the first quarter as market uncertainty affected deal urgency. As we enter the second quarter, more recent activity points to a rebound in consumer products closed transactions. … READ MORE >