Markets gyrated this week as the spread between the ten- and two-year Treasury's turned negative for the first time since 2007. Financial markets seem to expect that the sharp slowdown in growth overseas will soon spread to the United States. Economic data this week, however, continued to say otherwise. Retail sales again beat expectations, rising 0.7% in July. Sales were boosted by the 2.8% surge at non-store retailers (read: Amazon Prime Day,) but were broad-based. Ten of 13 categories posted increases, while core sales jumped 1.0%. Consumer confidence may get another boost heading into the holiday season on news Tuesday that the administration will delay the imposition of 10% tariffs on approximately $155 billion of imports from China that were scheduled to go into effect September 1. The exempted products electronics, toys, etc... suggest the delay is intended to shield consumers from a tariff-related surge in prices just before the gift-giving season and to shield the administration from political blowback. The consumer which comprises roughly 70% of the economy has been carrying the weight the past few quarters, and to a large extent has avoided much of a spill over from all the trade uncertainty.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 12 February 2021
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Feb 19, 2021
Market attention was concentrated on the January consumer price data, as inflation has come back into focus.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 02 December 2022
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Dec 08, 2022
Total payrolls rose by 263K in November, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 3.7% and average hourly earning rising by 0.6%.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 18 March 2022
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Mar 21, 2022
it was a big week for economic news as the Astros allowed the TWINS of all teams to sign Carlos Correa to the type of short-term deal that the Astros have historically been open to.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 24 September 2021
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Oct 10, 2021
While fears of an Evergrande default in China were rattling financial markets, for those of us in Southeast Texas who have survived the typically very hot months of July, August and September, this week brought the very welcome first early fall-like
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 01 May 2020
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / May 04, 2020
U.S. GDP declined at an annualized rate of 4.8% in the first quarter, only a hint of what is to come in the second quarter.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 14 April 2023
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Apr 20, 2023
In March retail sales fell 1.0%, manufacturing production slipped 0.5% and the consumer price index rose a modest 0.1%.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 16 April 2021
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Apr 17, 2021
Data released this week continue to show that the economic recovery has gained momentum in March. The much anticipated consumer boom has arrived.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 18 August 2023
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Aug 23, 2023
The FOMC meeting minutes acknowledged the economy\'s resilience and continued to stress the Committee\'s resolve to bring inflation back down toward its 2% goal.
August 2020 Economy At A Glance
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Aug 22, 2020
Downstream involves the refining and processing of oil and natural gas into fuels, chemicals, and plastics. All three sectors are well-represented in Houston.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 11 September 2020
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Sep 14, 2020
In the holiday-shortened week, analysts’ attention remained on the progress of the labor market. Recent jobless claims data remain stubbornly high and point to a slowing jobs rebound.
