The Port of Los Angeles continued processing record numbers of shipping containers in April, including empties necessary for maintaining the Asian supply chain. … READ MORE >
Coronavirus
CHART OF THE DAY: Remittances to Mexico reach record levels
The remittances, which equaled roughly 3.8% of gross domestic product in March, or nearly $41 billion a year, are a crucial source of funds comparable with foreign direct investment into Mexico. … READ MORE >
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 >
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 >
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 >
U.S. employment report: Economy added a disappointing 266,000 jobs in April
An easing of commercial restrictions, mass vaccinations and pent-up demand racing ahead of the overall reopening of the economy bolstered hiring in April to the tune of 266,000 jobs as the unemployment rate increased to 6.1%, according to government data released Friday. … READ MORE >
Jobless claims: More good news from the labor market
First-time jobless claims declined to 498,000 for the week of May 1 from an upwardly revised 590,000 during the previous week as continuing claims remained elevated at 3.69 million, according to government data released Thursday. … READ MORE >