Update 840 — Week of Chaos, Confusion; GDP Growth Slows in 4th Quarter 2024 The country was plunged this week into a frenzy of chaos and confusion amid the Trump administration’s on-again, off-again freeze on federal grants and loans spending. The broad and vague memo released by the OMB Monday was rescinded on Wednesday but …
Update 837 — Key Nomination Hearings,CPI Report, CTC Bill Lead Week Roundup This week, Trump’s nominees for Treasury Secretary, HUD Secretary, and OMB Director faced pointed questioning by Democratic Senators ahead of coming confirmation votes by the committees of jurisdiction and the full Senate. The three nominees addressed a broad range of economic issues with …
Update 837: Nomination Hearings Lead Week’s Roundup Read More »
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 833 — Continuing Irresolution:Speaker Still ISO Plan to Avert Shutdown Mike Tyson once remarked that boxers have a plan going into every fight — until they get punched in the mouth. Speaker Johnson had a viable, bipartisan plan A this week to keep the government funded through mid-March and avert a shutdown via a …
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 826 — First of Trump’s Econ. Policy Noms;End of Basel III/Endgame?; Other Developments President-elect Trump continued announcing Cabinet nominees this week as his administration begins to take shape. The early appointments signal the incoming Trump administration’s intention to elevate the priorities of wealthy interests who appear loyal to Trump and willing to undermine institutional …
Update 820 — All but Tied: Polls in Bell Lap;Global Leaders Worry About Trump Tariffs The final New York Times/Siena poll of the 2024 election cycle published yesterday shows, for the first time, a flat-footed tie at 48 percent each for presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. In all of the seven battleground states …
Update 818 — CPI Down Six Straight Months;Inflation Falls to 2.4%, Lowest Since Feb. 2021 Yesterday’s CPI report for September showed prices across the board dropping marginally to 2.4 percent, year-on-year, from 2.5 percent in August. Although the new rate — the lowest since early 2021 — came in slightly above expectations, the modest decline …
Update 818: Inflation Falls to 2.4%, Lowest Since Feb. 2021 Read More »
Update 816 — Unemployment, Dipping to 4.1%,VP Debate, ILA Strike, Helene/FEMA Top Week This morning’s stronger-than-expected jobs report, showing 254,00 jobs added to the economy and unemployment ticking down to 4.1 percent in September, is an encouraging sign that the labor market remains strong after recent signs of cooling. In another encouraging development, dockworkers who …
Update 814 — Biden Signs 3-Mo FY25 CR;August PCE Drops to 2.2%, Leading Week This week, right before the start of the 2025 fiscal year, Congress approved and the President signed a continuing resolution (CR) allowing the federal government to remain open, with spending held constant at last year’s level until December 20, putting off …
Update 814: Shutdown Averted, Inflation Abates, Week’s News Read More »
