Policy Rx for Recession Aggravates Income Inequality
T’was the week before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was spending, not even your spouse; the stockings were hung by the chimney with flairs, in hopes that the Congress would supplement CARES. And so, it appears that the economy continues to deteriorate as the Congress attempts to put together another stimulus […]
The Real Recession Is Just Starting
At month’s end, we are going to see the BLS announce a 30%+ bounce in real GDP (the Atlanta Fed’s forecast is now above 35%). Much of this is already priced into the equity market, so a positive or negative reaction will only occur if the reported number is significantly above or below the consensus view. In […]
Weak Employment Data, Savings Out of Bullets
Personal income fell -2.7% in August. Still, consumer spending rose 1.0% M/M. What Gives? The economy is still very much an employment story. While the official U3 unemployment rate fell to 7.9% from 8.4%, the underlying data was, simply put, “ugly!” “Excess” Savings Last week, I discussed the theory that the “excess” savings from the […]
The “Excess Savings” Hypothesis vs. Economic Deceleration
There is some speculation that because only a little more than half of the buildup in savings from the stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits was spent through July, Q4 economic activity will continue to show recovery as the “savings” continues to be spent. Call this the “Excess Savings” Hypothesis. Unfortunately, the incoming data makes […]