With nearly 150 million Americans having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, we expect a net increase in employment of roughly 1.4 million jobs in April, with risk of a much larger gain in private-sector employment. We expect the unemployment rate to fall to 5.7%. … READ MORE >
coronavirus
Employment in the middle market is set for reconstruction following a difficult year
Forward-looking components in the RSM US Middle Market Business Index imply that midsize firms are ready to expand hiring and bolster compensation over the next six months as the real economy reopens and enters a hyper-competitive post-pandemic period. … READ MORE >
Personal income rises 21.1% in March, with savings up 27.6%
The impact of the $1.9 trillion in fiscal aid put on the table this year bolstered U.S. personal income by a record 21.1% in March, resulting in a 4.2% increase in personal spending. Income excluding government transfers increased by 0.9% on the month. Compensation increased by 1%, while wages and … … READ MORE >
Fed policy decision: Steady as U.S. economy at inflection point
The Federal Reserve made no substantial changes on Wednesday to the path of interest rates, its monthly $120 billion in asset purchases, overnight interest rates or interest paid on excess reserves. … READ MORE >
First-quarter GDP: Growth improves as the recovery accelerates
An improved public health outlook linked to mass vaccinations and a flood of fiscal aid coursing through the American economy boosted gross domestic product by 6.4% during the first three months of the year. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Output gap to close in current quarter, an extraordinary achievement
We are now fully confident that the American economy will move back above the pre-pandemic level of activity in the current quarter. Given the size of the shock to the real economy, and the depth and breadth of the crisis, this recovery is remarkable. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Surging RSM US Manufacturing Outlook Index implies a robust recovery
For the second month in a row, manufacturers’ optimism surged, which implies further acceleration in overall industrial production and manufacturing conditions. … READ MORE >
GDP preview: 6% growth forecast with room to accelerate
We expect that the initial estimate of U.S. gross domestic product for the first quarter, which will be released Thursday, will show 6% growth, which is somewhat below the Bloomberg consensus of 6.8%. … READ MORE >
Global economy to expand by 6% as vaccinations accelerate
The events that shook the global economy to its core last year – policy errors and a pandemic occurring at the end of a decade-long business cycle — finally appear to be bottoming out. … READ MORE >
Interest rate update: The changing yield landscape, in eight charts
The yield on 10-year Treasury bonds has moved to 1.55%, within 50 basis points of already low pre-pandemic rates. While anything near 1.60% is better than the 0.60% observed last year, we expect the yield to rise to 1.9% at the end of the year. … READ MORE >