Pantheon Macroeconomics

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US Publications

Below is a list of our US Publications for the last 5 months. If you are looking for reports older than 5 months please email info@pantheonmacro.com, or contact your account rep

Please use the filters on the right to search for a specific date or topic.

Chartbook Daily Monitor Weekly Monitor Samuel Tombs

10 June 2025 US Monitor Core CPI likely gained momentum in May, but less than widely expected

  • We think the core CPI rose by 0.3% in May, but a 0.2% increase looks more likely than a 0.4%.
  • Indicators point to a moderate step up in the pace of core goods price rises; the surge is coming from June.
  • Discretionary services prices likely were soft again, while the seasonals will pull down other services prices.

Samuel TombsUS

9 June 2025 US Monitor Mr. Trump is right; the labor market will need substantial Fed easing soon

  • Moderate payroll growth in May offers little reassurance, due to the re-emerging pattern of downward revisions.
  • Hiring intentions indicators point to payroll growth slowing to about 75K in Q3; federal job cuts will continue.
  • The trend of slowing payroll growth will be startling by the FOMC’s September meeting, compelling easing.

Samuel TombsUS

6 June 2025 US Monitor Sticking with our 125K forecast for payrolls, despite ADP's awful data

  • ADP’s private payroll numbers are a woeful guide to the official data; even back-to-back low prints offer no signal.
  • As a result, we are maintaining our forecast for a 125K increase in nonfarm payrolls in May.
  • QCEW data imply big downward revisions to payrolls, but mostly because they exclude unauthorized workers.

Samuel TombsUS

4 June 2025 US Monitor JOLTS data offer false reassurance on labor demand

  • The JOLTS participation and response rates are very low; downward revisions have been common lately.
  • Other indicators point to fading demand for new hires; at the same time layoffs are starting to rise.
  • Several “soft” data series have reversed their April plunges, providing some reassurance about activity.

Samuel TombsUS

3 June 2025 US Monitor Payroll growth likely slowed in May, ahead of a bigger deceleration

  • We look for a 125K rise in May payrolls; the surge in distribution sector jobs likely has petered out...
  • ...While the most reliable survey indicators show that rising uncertainty has weighed on hiring.
  • Continuing claims data point to another rise in unemployment, increasing pressure on the FOMC to ease.

Samuel TombsUS

2 June 2025 US Monitor Weaker consumers' spending and higher core inflation lie ahead

  • Consumers’ spending is on track for respectable growth in Q2, but a sharper slowdown looms...
  • ...As tariff-induced prices increases push up core PCE inflation, weighing on real incomes.
  • Tariff-related distortions to the trade and inventories likely will artificially boost Q2 GDP growth.

Samuel TombsUS

28 May 2025 US Monitor Business equipment investment set to fall sharply over the rest of 2025

  • Core capital goods orders fell by almost 2% in real terms in April, the steepest drop in almost four years. 
  • Surveys of capex intentions still point to further weakness in equipment investment ahead.
  • The FOMC minutes will underline the Fed’s plans to wait for more clarity on the impact of tariffs. 

Samuel TombsUS

27 May 2025 US Monitor Labor market weakness will emerge, but not before July's FOMC meeting

  • Payrolls in the retail, wholesale and goods transportation sectors have leapt by 200K since November...
  • ...These gains will unwind as goods demand slumps, but probably after July FOMC meeting.
  • Tariffs of 50% on EU imports would boost the core PCE deflator by 0.5% and hit GDP by around 1%.

Samuel TombsUS

23 May 2025 US Monitor S&P PMI suggests resilient activity but mounting price pressures

  • The S&P composite PMI suggests underlying GDP growth is tracking around 2% for now... 
  • ...but the survey also points to much higher core goods inflation and pressures on services firms too.
  • Markets rightly judge that the “Big Beautiful Bill” will boost debt issuance but do little to lift demand.

Samuel TombsUS

21 May 2025 US Monitor Homebase signals solid May jobs, but its track record is subpar

  • Homebase data signal a 150K rise in May private payrolls, matching the average of the last three months...
  • ...But its skew towards hospitality means it is a poor overall indicator; others have a better track record.
  • Major consumer confidence surveys have diverged markedly; we suspect political bias is the problem. 

Samuel TombsUS

20 May 2025 US Monitor How stimulative will fiscal policy be if the "Big Beautiful Bill" passes?

  • The reconciliation bill implies a 1.8% boost to the deficit, relative to the baseline of a small fiscal tightening. 
  • But more pay-fors likely will be added in order to pass Congress, and tariffs will offset most of the boost.
  • Temporary and short-term jobs are holding up well, providing some reassurance about employment.

Samuel TombsUS

19 May 2025 US Monitor April data consistent with consumers bearing nearly all the tariff costs

  • April import price data damage the theory that overseas manufacturers will absorb some tariff costs.
  • PPI trade services prices—gross margins—usually are revised up; retailers are planning June price hikes.
  • Residential construction payrolls are vulnerable to a drop in housing starts; the market is oversupplied.

Samuel TombsUS

14 May 2025 US Monitor Services inflation will keep trending down, offsetting some tariff pressure

  • The April CPI report contained early signs of tariffs pushing up goods prices, with much more to come…
  • …But services inflation remains relatively muted, and we think further declines are in the pipeline. 
  • The April NFIB survey points to much weaker capex spending and relatively subdued services inflation.

Samuel TombsUS

12 May 2025 US Monitor April CPI set to show inflation had been tamed, before the tariff shock

  • We look for a below-consensus 0.2% gain in the April headline CPI; the egg price surge likely unwound…
  • …But rising vehicle prices and a partial rebound in hotel room rates likely drove a 0.3% rise in the core CPI.
  • It's too soon to see major tariff-related price hikes, and weak demand suggests airline fares stayed lower.

Samuel TombsUS

8 May 2025 US Monitor An unhurried, uncertain FOMC likely to remain inactive in June

  • The FOMC sees little cost in waiting to discover which side of its dual mandate needs most attention.
  • A lot more tariff-sensitive data and news will come between the June and July meetings; the FOMC will wait.
  • BED data point to a 20K fall in the birth-death model’s contribution to monthly payroll growth ahead.

Samuel TombsUS

7 May 2025 US Monitor FOMC to remain non-committal on the 2025 rate outlook

  • Markets have relaxed and the economy is holding up, so the FOMC needn’t signal a June easing today.
  • The FOMC will have two more CPI reports and news on reciprocal tariffs if it waits until July.
  • The latest trade data suggest pre-tariff stockpiling was very limited outside of a couple of sectors.

Samuel TombsUS

5 May 2025 US Monitor Uncertainty over tariffs hasn't killed jobs yet, but their imposition will hurt

  • Tariff uncertainty supported payrolls in April, by temporarily boosting the logistics and retail sectors...
  • ...But hiring intentions have weakened and a sharp decline in activity in the logistics sector is in train.
  • We’re pushing back our forecast for Fed easing to July, from June, but we still expect 75bp this year.

Samuel TombsUS

28 April 2025 US Monitor Payroll Payroll growth is unlikely to have slowed decisively as soon as April

  • We look for a 150K increase in April payrolls and a stable unemployment rate at 4.2%…
  • …Job postings, initial claims and the employment indexes of business surveys were little changed.
  • A calendar quirk will depress April average hourly earnings, but the trend is slowing.

Samuel TombsUS

25 April 2025 US Monitor How big is the threat from higher Treasury yields to small banks?

  • Small banks have run down their Treasury holdings since 2023, especially long bonds.
  • The biggest risk for small banks is further tariff escalation, which would hit CRE valuations and lift yields.
  • A tariff-driven bounce in business investment in Q1 will give way to a slump in Q2 and Q3.

Samuel TombsUS

24 April 2025 US Monitor April business surveys point to slowing growth, not recession

  • April’s S&P Global PMI points to GDP growth of 1½% in Q2; the regional Fed surveys are only a bit weaker.
  • Tariffs are lifting manufacturers’ costs, but service sector disinflation is ongoing; the Fed can ease soon.
  • Post-tariff uncertainty and the upturn in mortgage rates will add to the headwinds facing housing. 

Samuel TombsUS

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