We have made the case over the past few months that resilience rather than recession is a more apt description of the American economy. The net change in employment in the April jobs report of 253,000 reported by the Labor Department on Friday reflects that resilience. In addition, the … … READ MORE >
Federal Reserve
Fed hikes rate a quarter point while creating framework for a pause
The 25 basis-point increase was accompanied by changes in the Federal Open Market Committee’s statement that imply a possible pause at the Fed’s next meeting in June. … READ MORE >
Economic implications of further turmoil in the banking sector
The latest bank seizure should bolster confidence in the ability of the federal government and systemically important financial institutions to address any subsequent landmines among small and medium-size lenders … READ MORE >
RSM US Manufacturing Outlook Index: Slowdown continues into April
Overall manufacturing activity remains at 1.85 standard deviations below normal, a level consistent with past recessions. … READ MORE >
FOMC preview: Is 10 the magic number?
We expect the Federal Reserve to hike the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 5% to 5.25% at its May 3 meeting, with changes in the FOMC statement that imply a possible pause in the rate hike campaign and a bias toward future tightening if inflation proves sticky and stubborn. … READ MORE >
Fed’s gauges on wages and inflation seal the deal on another rate hike
The Federal Reserve’s key labor costs metric for the first quarter came in hotter than expected, helping to seal the deal on another rate hike in May, while raising the probability of another one in June. … READ MORE >
U.S. growth slows to 1.1% as businesses pull back
Growth in the first quarter expanded at a 1.1% annualized pace and by 1.6% on a year-ago basis as a modest inventory correction and a large pullback in business investment offset the increase in household consumption. … READ MORE >
Business spending on equipment falls more than expected
Orders and shipments of core capital goods that exclude defense and aircraft spending, a key measure of private business investment, both fell by 0.4% in March. … READ MORE >
Growth, employment and identifying the end of a business cycle
The Federal Reserve’s rate hikes are starting to pull down growth just as a period of tighter lending will probably cool the economy further over the next few months. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims rise amid labor market slowdowns
New claims, which are a proxy for layoffs, increased by 2.1% to 245,000 for the week ending April 15—about 12.9% higher than a year ago. … READ MORE >