The Canadian economy added 337,000 jobs in February as the reopening of the economy more than offset the job losses in January because of the omicron variant. … READ MORE >
Coronavirus
FOMC preview: Powell caught in the crossfire
Next Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee will result in the central bank hiking its policy rate by 25 basis points to a range of between 0.25% and 0.5%. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Initial jobless claims inch up
Initial jobless claims inched up by 11,000 last week, most likely a temporary spike as most of the increase came from New York and California with 16,000 and 6,000 new claims, respectively. … READ MORE >
Preview of coming attractions: Inflation surges to 7.9%
The February consumer price index provided an unpleasant preview of coming attractions in the U.S. economy as top-line inflation soared by 0.8% on the month, pushing the year-ago reading to 7.9%, the fastest rate in 40 years. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Job openings surpass 11 million in back-to-back months
The scramble by employers to find workers continued amid a historically tight labor market in January, as employers reported 11.3 million job openings for the month. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: U.S. trade deficit nears $90 billion, a record
The United States trade deficit reached a record high in January as strong domestic demand continued to push imports higher, especially oil, while exports were dampened by the omicron surge which shut down production and limited travel. … READ MORE >
Energy shock will hit low-income Americans the hardest
Despite such a significant price shock, the Federal Reserve should not overreact by hiking interest rates aggressively because the spillovers from higher energy prices on core goods and services will most likely be relatively small and fade quickly. … READ MORE >
U.S. February jobs report: Bittersweet symphony as employment rises by 678,000
Despite a net increase in total employment of 678,000 and a decline in the unemployment rate to 3.8% in February, the improvement in the American labor market is now in the rear-view mirror as the impact of geopolitical tensions and inflation sets in. … READ MORE >
The impact of an energy shock on Canada’s economy
Although high oil and gas prices had been good news for the Canadian economy over the past few decades, this time is different. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Wholesale gas prices Imply 10.4% Increase at the pump
Geopolitical tensions linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have roiled oil markets around the world. The global Brent crude benchmark has traded around $115 per barrel and the domestic West Texas Intermediate benchmark stood at $112. A year ago, those prices hovered around $60. The elevated levels translate into rising … … READ MORE >