Retail sales and producer inflation came in significantly higher than expected, while initial jobless claims were lower than the market consensus. … READ MORE >
Inflation
Energy pushes inflation higher but core prices remain grounded
Consumer inflation in August posted the biggest monthly increase in more than a year, driven mostly by the surge in oil and energy prices. … READ MORE >
Why the Fed should lift its 2% inflation target
We expect the Fed to hold its policy rate steady at 5.25% to 5.5% at its meeting next week and would advise the Fed to begin shaping expectations about a likely cyclical peak at that range. … READ MORE >
U.S. August jobs report: Labor market continues to cool
In August, the U.S. economy added 187,000 jobs and the unemployment rate settled in at 3.8%, according to Labor Department data released on Friday. … READ MORE >
Personal spending grows hot in July as inflation stabilizes
American consumers remained in the position of strength when it came to spending and income growth this summer as inflation stabilized further and the labor market stayed resilient. … READ MORE >
Consumer products M&A cooled in the first half
Merger and acquisition activity among consumer products companies took a breather in the first half of the year as valuations were reset amid rising interest rates. … READ MORE >
New data points to further economic slowdown and disinflation
Job openings fell to 9.58 million in June, the lowest since April 2021, according to government data released on Tuesday. … READ MORE >
RSM US Financial Conditions Index moving toward neutral
With the money market at normal levels of risk, and with surging equities balancing out the caution displayed in the bond market, our composite financial conditions market is fast approaching neutral. … READ MORE >
Fed’s key wage gauge falls to lowest level since June 2021
The Employment Cost Index—the Federal Reserve’s closely watched metric on wage growth—increased by 1.0% in the second quarter, the slowest since June 2021. … READ MORE >
Resilience defined as American economy continues to defy expectations
Driven by the household consumption, the American economy expanded at a 2.4% seasonally adjusted annualized rate. … READ MORE >