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

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Weekly Monitor Samuel Tombs

17 February 2026 US Monitor January data leave CPI inflation on track to be much lower by year-end

  • The rise in the unadjusted January core CPI was similar to typical increases in the late 2010s.
  • Used auto prices will rebound, but increases for goods ex-autos will slow after January’s one-time hikes.
  • New rents are now barely rising, signalling a substantial fall in CPI shelter inflation over the next year.

9 February 2026 US Monitor January CPI likely to undershoot the consensus

  • We look for a 0.2% increase in the headline CPI and a 0.3% rise in the core, despite residual seasonality.
  • Web-scraped data point to slowing durable goods prices; Winter Storm Fern likely hit clothing prices.
  • Increases in prices for streaming services, live events and rent likely were all much smaller than a year ago.

2 February 2026 US Monitor Rates unlikely to track a much lower path with Warsh at the Fed

  • Keeping Mr. Trump, Senators and markets all on-side for three months will be no easy task for Mr. Warsh.
  • If he is confirmed, the President might need to use Mr. Miran’s seat on the Board, resulting in no dovish shift.
  • Mr. Warsh claims monetary policy alone determines inflation; he’s boxed in if it doesn’t fall this year.

26 January 2026 US Monitor Labor market risks mean the FOMC will hint at further easing to come

  • The Fed will leave rates on hold this week, but three members will vote to ease again...
  • ...And key members will place more weight on the further slowdown in payrolls than robust GDP.
  • We still expect rising unemployment to spur easing in H1, but major personnel changes now look less likely.

20 January 2026 US Monitor Have foreign businesses eaten the increase in US tariffs?

  • US import prices rose by three percentage points less than global import prices in the year to October.
  • Foreign manufacturers of autos and alcoholic drinks have slashed prices to remain competitive.
  • Auto manufacturers will rebuild margins in 2026, but other supply chains will adapt to cut tariff exposure.

12 January 2026 US Monitor A March easing is more likely than markets think after jobs data

  • The trend in payrolls is unlikely to improve in Q1; catch-up growth in healthcare jobs is now over...
  • ...And December’s jump in leisure and hospitality payrolls looks set to unwind, just like a year ago.
  • The sharp rise in involuntary part-time working is a red flag, signaling that layoffs will pick up in Q1.

5 January 2026 US Monitor December labor market data to maintain pressure on FOMC to ease

  • We look for a modest 75K rise in payrolls and a small fall in the unemployment rate to 4.5% in December.
  • Retailers and hospitality firms hired cautiously; consumers continue to report worsening job availability.
  • The FOMC still looks likely to pause in January, but the case for easing again will be robust by March.

22 December 2025 US Monitor Birth-death model is only partly to blame for big benchmark revisions

  • Only a small fraction of the big downward benchmark revision to payrolls is due to the birth-death model. 
  • The sectoral mix of the revision implies benchmarking is removing only a few unauthorized workers.
  • The main problem—still unresolved—is the BLS is not obtaining a representative sample of firms.

15 December 2025 US Monitor November employment report to sustain pressure on the Fed to ease

  • We expect a first estimate of a mere 50K rise in November payrolls, despite slightly better surveys...
  • ...Retailers have hired relatively few seasonal workers; the upward bias in the first estimate should be mild.
  • The unemployment rate likely ticked up to 4.5% in November, from 4.4% in October.

8 December 2025 US Monitor Consumer resilience is ebbing as year-end approaches

  • Spending rose by 2.7% in Q3, but the stagnation in September likely foreshadows a very weak Q4.
  • Real incomes are barely rising, and many near-real time indicators point to a sharp slowdown in growth.
  • Q1 likely will be weak too, but bumper tax refunds and a pick-up in hiring will support a Q2 revival.

1 December 2025 US Monitor Why are tariff revenues falling short of everyone's projections?

  • The average effective tariff rate is currently just 12%, far short of the near-20% widely expected in spring.
  • China imports have dived; more imports than expected from Canada and Mexico are USMCA-compliant.
  • The plunge in the Cass Freight Index looks alarming, but it probably is overstating weakness in industry.

24 November 2025 US Monitor Near-4% growth in average hourly earnings overstates the trend

  • Growth in average hourly earnings is resilient because fewer entry level workers are being hired...
  • ...Rising unemployment, the low quits rate and a wide range of surveys all point to an underlying slowdown.
  • The NY Fed’s Williams still sees room to ease policy “...in the near term”, bolstering our December call.

17 November 2025 US Monitor Inflation outlook insensitive to the Supreme Court's tariff decision

  • Retailers usually pass on the bulk of any cost increases to consumers, but bank most of any savings.
  • Retailers won’t cut prices only to hike them again if the White House reimposes tariffs via other routes.
  • The AI stock sell-off is small so far, but a deeper rout would have a tangible impact on GDP growth.

10 November 2025 US Monitor The Michigan confidence survey is disconcerting, despite its flaws

  • Comparing November’s UoM survey to its historical range overstates the depth of consumer gloom...
  • ...But the massive deterioration in major purchase plans this year is too big to simply brush aside.
  • Small businesses are bearing down on wage growth; pay rises of just 3% will be the norm next year.

3 November 2025 US Monitor Indicators of consumers' spending are starting to flash amber

  • Continuing claims have returned to their rising trend; Homebase and Indeed data are also weakening.
  • Bloomberg Second Measure and Redbook data point to retail sales losing momentum last month.
  • Airline passenger numbers have picked up, but hotel room occupancy is now 2pp lower than a year ago.

27 October 2025 US Monitor Falling core services inflation to allow extended FOMC easing cycle

  • Tariffs continue to lift core goods prices; passthrough is now about two-fifths complete…
  • …But core services inflation remains in check and the weakening labor market will drag it lower.
  • Higher goods inflation will be fleeting, while falling services inflation will enable the FOMC to ease.

20 October 2025 US Monitor Is a 50bp easing in December a real possibility?

  • Regional banks are under renewed scrutiny, oil prices have tumbled, and the shutdown is going long...
  • ...So markets are starting to see a meaningful chance of a 50bp easing in December.
  • But timely data imply the labor market and GDP growth are holding up; 25bp is still more likely.

14 October 2025 US Monitor Near-real time indicators point to slowing consumption

  • Consumers’ major purchase intentions have fallen sharply, signalling flat spending on durable goods.
  • NRF and Redbook data point to a drop in retail sales in September, ending a strong three-month run.
  • Most measures of spending on discretionary services have weakened, consistent with a lackluster Q4.

6 October 2025 US Monitor The Fed will need to be nimbler than usual if the economy founders

  • Households have delevered over the last five years and many have fixed-rate mortgages with low rates.
  • Reducing the funds rate to 3% next year merely would stabilize the effective mortgage rate.
  • The weakness in the ISM surveys in Q3 probably is understating the economy’s underlying momentum.

29 September 2025 US Monitor Solid growth in consumers' spending unlikely to be sustained

  • Spending numbers up to August point to 3% growth in third quarter consumption...
  • ...But that pace looks unsustainable, given the myriad headwinds facing households.
  • Real after-tax incomes are flatlining, the saving rate is already low, and balance sheets are more fragile.
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