The “Boom” Is Off the Rose
The employment number was a shock to the “boom” economy narrative; it was the biggest consensus miss in history! The majority of forecasters, even those with scores of economists and huge budgets, simply got the “boom” narrative wrong. The Payroll Survey employment number was an “aberration” they hastily said. But the sister Household Survey tells […]
Economic Review – Q1/16
At quarter’s end, the equity market had recovered all that it had lost between 12/31 and 2/11, plus about 1%. Apparently, this was the swiftest recovery in any quarter since 1933. While we were fairly certain that the downdraft was just a much needed correction, like you, we don’t care too much for the uncertainty […]
The logic behind Wall Street’s recession fears
To the logical investor, and to most economists, Wall Street’s fear of a U.S. recession appears irrational. Is it? While there is no current evidence that the U.S. has entered a recession, or even that one is approaching, there have been two instances in modern history where the financial markets have precipitated a recession; 1929 […]
Economic predictions for 2016
As the year ends, it is customary to write a column that attempts to forecast the major economic trends of the new year. Looking back, five of my six predictions last December were spot on (only missed the continuing weakness in manufacturing). I hope the forecasts that follow do as well. Jobs, jobs, jobs Jobs […]
The U.S. is Losing the Currency War
Over the past year, the U.S. dollar has appreciated more than 18%, and in the week of August 10th, China surprised the markets by allowing its currency to depreciate nearly 3% against the dollar, thoroughly roiling the equity markets. The Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) had typically pegged the value of the Chinese currency (RMB) […]
Why “Average” Wage Rates May Be Misleading
Much has been made of Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s stance that the labor market still has a lot of slack. That message remained in the Fed’s September communique. As part of her justification, the Chairwoman points to the fact that the average hourly wage rate has remained at or near the “official” rate of inflation, […]