Consumer loan delinquencies and unemployment rates have historically followed similar paths. But the pandemic has upended that coupling, as consumer loan delinquencies have trended down while unemployment has increased significantly. … READ MORE >
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CHART OF THE DAY: December is anticipated to be the biggest on record for IPOs
Special purpose acquisition companies (or SPACs) have been hot this year, but the traditional initial public offering is closing out the year even stronger. … READ MORE >
Jobless claims: Pace of firings increases to 853,000, pointing to urgent need for fiscal aid
As policymakers continue to negotiate over another round of fiscal aid, initial claims for unemployment insurance increased to 853,000 for the week ending Dec. 5. … READ MORE >
Death and taxes are the only certainties in a volatile Chicago office market
The Chicago real estate investment community is bracing for a rough winter as both commercial and residential owners prepare for property tax hikes as Covid-19 continues to present a significant threat in Illinois. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: U.S. job openings improve
Workers are growing more confident in their ability to find a job, according to the most recent Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 5.1 million separations from employment on the back of 6.65 million job openings during October, according to the survey. … READ MORE >
5 things to know this week in life sciences: Week of Dec. 7
This is the first installment of a new weekly roundup in which we highlight five things you need to know about in the life sciences industry. Here’s the latest, including COVID-19 vaccine news, a deal between Palantir and the FDA, and more. … READ MORE >
A K-shaped wage environment: Abnormalities in wage and benefit growth during the pandemic
The economic distortions of the pandemic are becoming increasingly evident in the divergent fortunes of the nation’s workers. Hourly wages are rising at a solid rate among nonsupervisory workers, but that’s primarily because of the reduction in force of low-wage workers. … READ MORE >
Looking forward: Canada’s economy in 2021
Canadian output is likely to expand by roughly 4 per cent in 2021 and 2022. While this is solid, the Canadian economy is not likely to reach its full capacity to produce until 2023. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Booming mortgage originations
After a slow first quarter, mortgage originations in the United States are surging as homeowners capitalize on historically low interest rates, with the totals approaching levels not seen since 2003. … READ MORE >
Coronavirus update: More records to be broken as human toll mounts
A record 237,000 new cases were reported on Dec. 4 and a record 2,921 people died from the COVID-19 disease on Dec. 3, according to the Worldometers database. … READ MORE >