Why Q3’s GDP Print Doesn’t Mean Recession Avoidance
The only saving grace of the GDP report was its headline +2.6%. As it turns out, Net Exports added 2.8 percentage points, and for the wrong reasons. Excluding Net Exports, the domestic economy’s GDP growth was -0.2%. The Recession continues. While the country still has a large negative balance of trade, it is the change […]
Markets: Volatility Reigns
But Economy Too Fragile for Latest Rate Spike On Friday, February 11, I decided to write this blog about why the spike in interest rates on Thursday was way overdone, as the underlying economy was weakening, not strengthening. Before I finished writing, the fixed income markets had reversed most of Thursday’s long-term rate spike and […]
The Economy Has ‘Recovered’ – Anemic Growth To Follow
The September jobs report was filled with cross-currents, some showing possible economic weakness, some showing strength. This makes the Fed’s job exceedingly difficult. Is the economy strengthening or weakening? What’s the correct monetary policy prescription? “Taper” asset purchases? Raise interest rates? Since September payrolls were so ambiguous, perhaps October’s (which will be available to the Fed prior to its November meeting) […]
Inflation Is Fading; So Is The Economy; But Jobs Will Grow
The “inflation” story has now moved to page two, not because it isn’t still the financial media’s mantra, but the disaster of the Afghanistan exit has taken its place. We don’t think it will make its way back to page 1. The reason: the burst of economic activity, for the Q1 and Q2 economic reopenings, […]
The Payroll Numbers Won’t Prevent Economic Growth From Softening
Employment was the big story of the week with headline Payroll Employment rising +943K Seasonally Adjusted (SA). The consensus estimate was +870K, so, apparently, a big beat. But, looking beneath the surface reveals that this isn’t quite what, at first blush, it appears to be. Since the pandemic began, we have held the view that the Not […]
Growth Risks To The Economy Intensify
Mask mandates now are a reality in many parts of the country. That can’t be good for economic growth in Q3. The first pass at Q2 GDP came in light, with growth of +6.5% where the consensus was north of 8%. Despite that disappointment, markets seemed to like the number, even as Amazon, the poster-child company for pandemic […]