This week we highlight small-company drug launches during the pandemic, the future of the biopharma office, using artificial intelligence to diagnose rare diseases and more. … READ MORE >
Blog
CHART OF THE DAY: Unemployment insurance claims continue to fall
First-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits continue to move in the right direction, falling during the week ending May 8 to 473,000, or a drop of 34,000 in seasonally adjusted terms. … READ MORE >
Interest rate update: Recent increase shows progress on the path to normalization
The yield on 10-year Treasury bonds is approaching 1.7%, within 20 basis points of already low pre-pandemic rates. The move higher is in response to signs of an economic recovery and perceived risks around inflation. But sub-2% 10-year interest rates are far from what a healthy economy would support. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: A do-over year for the Consumer Price Index
The inflation numbers for April released on Wednesday show the Consumer Price Index rising by 4.2% compared to April 2020, higher than the Bloomberg consensus forecast of 3.6%. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Job openings rose in the first quarter
The number of job openings and those who quit their jobs increased in the first three months of the year, pointing to a healthy demand for labor despite the subsequent disappointing jobs report for April, according to government data released on Tuesday. … READ MORE >
Frothy markets and the risk to the economic outlook in the era of low interest rates
The Bloomberg U.S. Financial Conditions Plus Index has reached 2.9 standard deviations above neutral, an unprecedented level that signals the possibility of froth in asset markets. … READ MORE >
RSM Canada Financial Conditions Index: Bank of Canada providing global leadership
The next Bank of Canada monetary policy decision is three weeks away, coming at a time when talk is focused on when central banks will tighten their accommodative policy stance prompted by the global health crisis. … READ MORE >
5 key themes from SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s House testimony
With Gary Gensler sworn in as the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission in April, the direction of the agency under his leadership is now beginning to take shape. This was especially clear during a House Financial Services Committee hearing Thursday on the unprecedented surge in social media induced meme stock trading this year. … READ MORE >
5 things to know in life sciences: Week of May 3
This week we highlight herd immunity challenges, concerns about waiving patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines, using machine learning to reduce trial risks and more. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Estimating unemployment during the pandemic
Friday’s headline U3 unemployment rate of 6.1% for April is probably an undercount of the number of out-of-work people in the United States, not by design, but by the peculiar circumstances of the pandemic. … READ MORE >