Earlier this week, we saw the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report was down from last month and generally well below expectations—in this case, a good thing. Today, we got the Producer Price Index (PPI) report, which was also down from last month and less than expected. Inflation appears to have peaked and is potentially on track to decline.
Commonwealth
Economic Risk Factor Update: August 2022
My colleague Sam Millette, manager, fixed income on Commonwealth’s Investment Management and Research team, has helped me put together this month’s Economic Risk Factor Update. Thanks for the assist, Sam!
Yield Curve Message? No Recession Yet
As we negotiate the recession or no recession debate, one of the key data points is what’s called a yield curve inversion, which is a greatly intimidating technical term for something that is really pretty simple: the interest rate on a long-term bond minus the interest rate on a short-term bond. But economists can’t really be intimidating if we just say that!
Economic Release Snapshot: Hiring Surges in July
Each week, we break down the latest U.S. economic reports, including what the results mean for the overall health of the economy. Here, you will find how economists’ forecasts compare with actual results, key takeaways to consider, as well as a list of what’s on tap for the week ahead.
Very Strong Jobs Report Is Very Good News
Yesterday, I spent a lot of time talking about how the jobs report was likely to meet expectations, but the underlying assumption was that the risks were to the downside. I talked about how, if job growth fell short, it was likely due to a lack of workers rather than a lack of jobs. I did mention the report could surprise to the upside, but didn’t give it a lot of attention. So when I looked at the actual data this morning, I can summarize my reaction with one word: Wow!
Make It or Break It? A Jobs Report Preview
With all the concerns around a recession, one of the key data points that says the economy is still growing has been the jobs numbers. With companies adding hundreds of thousands of jobs per month, with quit rates still very high, with millions more jobs available than we have ever seen before, the jobs market still looks like boom times—not a recession. The question, of course, is how long can that good news continue? This Friday’s jobs report will give us the most current answer.