Archive: Economic and Financial Digest
March 24, 2020 | Economic and Financial Digest
RIP: The Longest Expansion
It won’t be confirmed for at least several months, but the U.S. is almost certainly heading into a recession. A little over a month ago, when the Covid-19 coronavirus first hit the headlines we, along with most economists, thought the nation could weather the storm if proper policies were quickly implemented and the outbreak contained […]
February 07, 2020 | Economic and Financial Digest
Consumers Will Be Less Feisty This Year
The economy ended 2019 with a bit more momentum than expected, as consumers ramped up spending and home construction soared to a 13- year high in December. These upbeat reports on retail sales and housing starts follow on the heels of other data that also came in on the strong side of the ledger. Most […]
January 15, 2020 | Economic and Financial Digest
Trade Agreements Spur Cautious Optimism
As the curtain closes on 2019, the year will be remembered for a number of hits and misses. Perhaps the biggest hit is that the economy completed a marathon, having outlasted all previous expansions by at least six months. The latest annual leg of the journey generated more than 2 million new jobs for a […]
December 11, 2019 | Economic and Financial Digest
The Good Place is on Shaky Ground
Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell continues to insist that the economy is in a “good place”, which, like the Goldilocks scenario, is neither too hot nor too cold – but just right. At least just right enough to keep the policy levers where they are for a while. After cutting interest rates for the third […]
November 13, 2019 | Economic and Financial Digest
Will Factory Slump Kill The Expansion
Throughout most of the year the U.S. economy has withstood a torrent of headwinds, including escalating trade tensions with China, a severe global slowdown, geopolitical turmoil and headline-grabbing political controversy that continues to bedevil the administration. These adverse developments have taken a toll on business confidence and delivered a blow to exports and manufacturing activity, […]