Economic Outlook – 28 June 2020
US As lockdown restrictions associated with the coronavirus pandemic eased last month, Americans opened their wallets wider than ever before as their spending rose a record 8.2%. Personal income fell 4.2% on the month as [...]
Economic Outlook – 21 June 2020
US Last week’s economic data offered mixed signals as to whether the economy will be able to manage a V shaped recovery. The Commerce Department reported a 17.7% surge in retail sales in May, better [...]
Economic Outlook – 14 June 2020
US The Fed released the FOMC meeting minutes which reveled the participants’ similarly grim growth outlooks. This which showed most participants believed the Fed would keep the rate at the zero lower bound through at [...]
Economic Outlook – 7 June 2020
US After a major deterioration in April, both of the ISM indices improved in May, with the weightier non-manufacturing index coming in better than expected. Despite the uptick, both indices are still in contractionary territory. [...]
Economic Outlook – 31 May 2020
US The May consumer confidence report was one encouraging signal. Consumer confidence rose 0.9 points to 86.6 in May, after sharp, back-to-back monthly declines in March and April. Overall, the level of consumer confidence remains [...]
Economic Outlook – 24 May 2020
US The latest jobless claims data did not provide much cause for optimism. Some 2.2 million people applied for regular state benefits in the week ended 16 May (on a non-seasonally adjusted basis). However, an [...]