- The CBO projects a substantial drop in the federal budget deficit this year; a headwind to growth.
- With households likely to slow the rundown of their pandemic savings too, weaker growth is a good bet.
- The annual CPI revisions were modest, and leave the clear downward trend in place.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- The annual revisions to the CPI today are a black box, but they are unlikely to change the big picture.
- Core disinflation will persist, regardless of changes made to the data for last year.
- The Atlanta Fed wage tracker strongly suggests that the spike in January AHE is noise, not signal.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- The recent past is not always a good guide to the near future, especially in the labor market.
- Rising layoff announcements and weakening hiring intentions signal slower payroll growth in the spring.
- Huge residual seasonality will push down mortgage applications this month, but the trend is rising.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- U.S. - Whatever the truth about January jobs, the outlook for spring is weaker
- EUROZONE- Presenting the EZ bond market in 2024, assuming a soft landing
- U.K.- Multiple rate cuts this year signalled, but not as many as investors expect
- CHINA+ - Korea trade en route to a healthy recovery on strong WDA growth
- EM ASIA - Philippines’ consensus-beating Q4 benefited hugely from soft cushions
- LATAM - Central banks embrace policy normalisation, but with some caveats
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)Global
- The weakness of the household employment measure probably is not significant…
- …It’s a vastly inferior measure of short-term labor market trends than payrolls—and they’re not great.
- Consumer credit growth likely plunged sharply in December, after November’s inexplicable leap.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- Growth in bank lending to businesses is grinding to a halt; the SLOOS survey signals continued weakness.
- The jump in ISM services prices will matter only if it is sustained; brief swings usually are just noise.
- The sharp drop in unit auto sales in January means total retail sales likely were little changed.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
Head-scratching numbers kill March stone dead, and threaten May too
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- Whatever really happened to payrolls in January, leading indicators point to much slower gains in Q2.
- The spike in hourly earnings likely reflects the mis-measurement of hours, not a rebound in the trend.
- The January data have killed any chance of a March Fed easing, but we still expect the first cut in May.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- We think total payrolls rose by about 225K in January, comprising 175K private and 50K government.
- Similar gains are likely through the end of Q1, but we expect a meaningful slowing in job gains in Q2.
- Don’t worry about the jump in ISM prices paid; it’s an unreliable guide to CPI core goods prices.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- The Fed wants to see confirmation of its base-case forecast that inflation is headed to target…
- …If the data before March are favorable, the first ratecut will come at that meeting, but no guarantees.
- The ISM manufacturing survey likely will show that the industrial economy is still in a hole.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- U.S. - Inflation is tamed, and that matters more to the Fed than strong growth
- EUROZONE- GDP data support a dovish shift from the ECB; Spanish CPI not so much
- U.K.- MPC likely to split the difference with the market
- CHINA+ - China’s RRR cut is about accommodating fiscal stimulus
- EM ASIA - Reassuring early Q1 PMIs in India
- LATAM - A busy but relatively straightforward week for LatAm central banks
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)Global
- The Fed probably will abandon the idea of further hikes today, but won’t commit to easing timing.
- The Q4 employment costs index today is key; a further slowing would make a March easing more likely.
- The jump in December job openings is noise; the falling quits rate is much more important.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- We’re much more interested in the JOLTS quits rate than the headline job openings number…
- …Surging quits warned of the 21-to-22 jump in wage gains; the signal now is to the downside.
- Soaring stocks and cheaper gas are boosting consumers’ sentiment; will spending follow?
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
Core inflation falling steadily across all three components.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US