The long shadow of the economic shock is likely to cause firms and individuals to turn to the courts for a fresh start through the shedding of debt. … READ MORE >
coronavirus
Private equity dealmaking surges, with gains in the middle market
After a quiet period set off by the coronavirus pandemic, private equity deal activity in the United States surged through mid-November as investment managers prepare for a possible tax policy change under President-elect Joe Biden. … READ MORE >
Comment: Treasury Department moves to end select pandemic-era lending programs
The Treasury Department told the Federal Reserve on Thursday that it would not extend nine of the 13 liquidity and lending programs aimed at easing the effects of the pandemic. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: A key measure of future inflation implies disinflation risks
The Federal Reserve’s preferred forward-looking inflation metric — called the five-year, five-year forward break-even inflation rate — implies that pricing risks to the economic outlook revolve around disinflation, not inflation, over the next 10 years. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Existing home sales climb, further depleting inventory
Existing home sales increased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.85 million in October, representing a 4.3% increase month over month and the highest level since February 2006, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors. … READ MORE >
Jobless claims: Data going wrong way as pandemic intensifies
Initial jobless claims increased by 742,000 for the week ending Nov. 14 as the pandemic intensified and lockdowns spread across the economy. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Homebuilder confidence reaches all-time high
Confidence among homebuilders reached all all-time high in November as buyers looking for more room to live and work continued to enter the market, according to the National Association of Homebuilders Housing Market Index released on Wednesday. … READ MORE >
The year ahead: Resilience, recovery and reimagination
The possibility of 500 million vaccine doses produced domestically for distribution in 2021 carries the potential that close to $4 trillion in impaired economic activity could be unlocked in the second half of next year. … READ MORE >
U.S. industrial production rose 1.1% in October
The Federal Reserve on Tuesday said its index of industrial production, a measure of output at factories, mines and utilities, rose last month as output continued to recover from the depths of the spring. Total production rose 1.1% in October, slightly above the consensus. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Retail sales rose 0.3% in October, the slowest increase in six months
Retail sales in the United States grew at a 0.3% monthly rate in October, slower than analysts’ expectations of 0.5% and the slowest rate in six months. … READ MORE >