Update 864 – GDP Contracts by 0.3%;Trump Skins FY26 Domestic Spending Three key pieces of economic data were released this week. The Fed’s preferred measure of inflation ticked down to 2.3 percent in March, nearing the Fed’s two percent target, while a strong 177,000 jobs were added to the economy and unemployment remained unchanged at …
Update 842 — Constitution under Attack;Administration’s Assault on Law Expands This week saw new and continued attacks by the Trump administration on federal law and constitutional norms via dismantled programs, dismissed civil service workers, and personal data breaches, with more to come threatened. The emerging constitutional crises, accommodated by the GOP, are being challenged in …
Update 835 – 256K Jobs Added in Dec. Too Much of a Good Thing for the Fed? This morning’s Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report that the U.S. added 256,000 jobs and unemployment ticked back down to 4.1 percent in December shows the American economy closing 2024 on a surprisingly strong note. The report — …
Update 829 — Jobs Gains Up Again in November; Crypto Friendly SEC Pick among New Trump Noms. This morning’s jobs report, showing 227,00 jobs added to the economy and unemployment ticking up to 4.2 percent in November, indicates that the labor market remains strong after labor action and extreme weather led to low job gains in …
Update 822 – Last Data Before the DecisionContextualizing the October Jobs Report In the final days of the 2024 campaign season, the three notable macroeconomic data drops we saw this week will become voters’ last impressions and focus of economic talking points as candidates close out their cases. The October jobs report, released this morning, …
Update 808 — Sprint: September and Beyond:FY25 Budget, Harris Tax Proposals, Jobs Report This week’s leading macroeconomic news: the August jobs report, which showed that the American labor market has solidly shifted into lower gear, with job gains, 142,000 for the month, notably cooling. Also, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris debuted a new set of …
Update 801 – Job Gains Slow to 114KAs Congress Heads for August Recess This morning’s weaker-than-expected jobs report showing just a net 114,000 positions added in July suggests that the Fed’s decision earlier this week to hold interest rates steady instead of initiating cuts may have been too hawk-ish. With the labor market still strong, …
Update 666 — Jan. Jobs Gain of 517KGood News but a Quandary for the Fed Today’s blow out jobs report indicated US employers added 517,000 jobs in January – many more than forecasters had estimated and a spike not seen since July of 2022. The report brought mixed reactions. In a speech this morning, Biden …
Update 661 — A Soft Landing in 2023?Jobs, CPI, Tracking Fed Plane in the Sky As we enter a new year, the economy appears to be on the mend. Last year, inflation began accelerating and stayed elevated throughout. As yesterday’s CPI report makes clear, prices continue a descent thanks (only in part) to the Fed’s …
Update 645 — Industrial Policy 2.0:A New Era in Economic Investment? As the 117th Congress draws to a close and the 118th Congress draws closer, most major legislative priorities outside of the FY22 budget and NDAA have been disposed of. A signal accomplishment of this Congress — obscured from view but present in some of …
