Archive: Economic and Financial Digest
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, […]
October 31, 2019 | Economic and Financial Digest
Will Trade Wars Topple the Economy?
With the same certainty of death and taxes, the financial markets are perpetually challenged by a wall of worry. More often than not, the challenge is overcome when worries create opportunities that beget rich rewards for risk-takers. By all accounts, that premise has been on full display since the end of the Great Recession. The […]