The attack on the Saudi oil production facility at Abqaiq over the weekend will temporarily remove roughly 5.7 million barrels of oil production per day, or about 5% of total global supply, and is set to send U.S. retail gas prices 15% higher. As long as the geopolitical situation on the ground does not change, we will not expect the supply shock to spur a recession at this time. … READ MORE >
Economics
Fed preview: Difficulty and divided FOMC
Monetary policy is difficult under the best of circumstances. The cross currents of the trade war, a modest exogenous supply shock in oil markets, political pressure from the executive branch to reduce interest rates are among the factors that make the upcoming FOMC meeting one of the more challenging policy decisions in some time. … READ MORE >
The RSM Brexit Stress Index eases on moves to curtail abrupt withdrawal from EU
The RSM Brexit Stress Index eased again this week, as Parliament took additional steps to prevent a reckless exit from the European Union. The index fell to 1.24 standard deviations above normal levels of stress at market close on Friday, from 1.42 a week earlier. Though still high, this suggests an improvement from the dire conditions of just two weeks ago. … READ MORE >
The RSM Brexit Stress Index: Reacting to a Parliamentary dose of recession prevention
The RSM Brexit Stress Index surged sharply during the week amid attempts by Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party prime minister, to curtail objections to a no-deal Brexit but eased at week’s end as Parliament regained control of government. … READ MORE >
August hiring slows: Jobs report shows unflattering shape of things to come
August hiring slowed to 130,000 jobs, reflecting late-cycle business dynamics and the impact of the trade war that is now spilling over into the real economy. After adjusting for Census Bureau hiring the top-line hiring increase was only 105,000 jobs, just above the 100,000 necessary to stabilize the unemployment rate … READ MORE >
US August employment preview: focus on goods producing and manufacturing jobs
Investor attention will be squarely focused on the pace of hiring in goods production and manufacturing in the August U.S. employment report released on Friday. The results will follow a decline in the August ISM manufacturing employment sub-index to 47.4, which implies contraction in hiring across those sectors. … READ MORE >
RSM Brexit Stress Index posts highest level since June 2016 referendum
The RSM Brexit Stress Index reached its highest level since the U.K.’s June 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, closing at 1.93, up 8 points on Tuesday from 1.85 a week earlier, amid instability in the U.K. government. … READ MORE >
RSM Brexit Stress Index surges on likelihood of “no deal” Brexit
The RSM Brexit Stress Index rose to record highs on Wednesday, following news that the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson had received the okay to suspend Parliament just weeks ahead of a deadline for the U.K. to chart its path for withdrawal from the European Union. … READ MORE >
RSM Brexit Stress Index: Factoring in longer-term issues
The RSM Brexit Stress Index ended higher again this week on increased volatility. The composite index, which measures economic stress surrounding Britain’s impending departure from the European Union, closed at 1.74 on Friday from 1.64 a week ago. … READ MORE >
Is the next mortgage bubble imminent? Not so fast, the debt data tells us
There’s no denying that U.S. consumer debt is high. But despite headlines about a pending mortgage crisis not unlike the one that preceded the Great Recession, data shows that the U.S. economy is not yet ready for a “back to the future” scenario, writes RSM Senior Real Estate Analyst and Partner Troy Merkel. … READ MORE >