The U.S. economy is outperforming in growth and employment, and in controlling inflation, without causing the economy to fall into an extended period of slow growth or outright recession. … READ MORE >
Federal Reserve
Fed cuts rates to support a soft landing in the economy
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday reduced its policy rate by 50 basis points to a range between 4.75% and 5% to protect full employment and preserve the soft landing in the economy. … READ MORE >
U.S. retail sales and industrial production beat expectations
The data should temper the market’s concern about growth that has triggered calls for a 50 basis-point cut in the Federal Reserve’s policy rate at its meeting this week. … READ MORE >
Real federal funds rate illustrates that Fed policy is restrictive
With underlying inflation having fallen to between 2% and 2.5%, and the federal funds rate standing at 5.5%, capital investment has become prohibitively expensive for many businesses. … READ MORE >
Producer inflation and initial jobless claims stabilize further
While the producer price index came out slightly higher than forecasted at 0.3% on the month and 1.7% on a year-ago basis, it remained on a moderating trend with July’s number being revised down. … READ MORE >
FOMC preview: Why the Fed’s pivot to lower rates matters
The Fed’s policy decision next week will put forward major changes to its outlook, including the dot plot, the Summary of Economic Projections and the language within the statement around economic conditions. … READ MORE >
U.S. August CPI: Further signs of moderation as energy prices decline
Inflation inside the consumer price index continued to moderate in August as the top-line figure increased by 0.2% on the month and by 2.5% on a year-ago basis. … READ MORE >
Financial markets update: Front-running the Fed’s first cut, and our new call on rates
We are updating our year-end rate call to 3.7% on the 10-year yield with risk of a move lower as growth, inflation and hiring cool. … READ MORE >
U.S. August jobs report: A soft landing in the economy
Hiring is cooling and we expect that will define the second half of the year as firms manage their mix of capital and labor to meet demand. … READ MORE >
Job openings fall amid imminent rate cuts
With job openings falling back to normal and the labor supply increasing, the labor market was in balance in July. … READ MORE >