U.S. - Coronavirus Won’t Move the Fed
- Minutes from the January 28-29 FOMC meeting indicate the coronavirus will not push the Fed to cut interest rates, and for the most part housing and manufacturing survey data this week supported that view.
- The Leading Economic Index jumped 0.8% to an all-time high—easing some concerns generated by its dip into negative year-over-year territory the prior month—while the Philly Fed Index exceeded expectations by jumping to 36.7 and the Empire Manufacturing Survey beat consensus by rising to 12.9.
- Housing, meanwhile, continues to exceed expectations. December and January were the two strongest months for housing starts since 2006.
Global - Japan Underperforms Expectations; Coronavirus Update
- This week’s Japanese GDP data indicated a significant slowdown in the Japanese economy to close out 2019. Q4 data revealed Japan’s economy contracted 6.3% quarter-over quarter annualized, while other measures of activity contracted notably as well. As a result, we have downgraded our 2020 GDP forecast and now expect the Japanese economy to contract in 2020.
- The coronavirus continues to linger over financial markets, with the most recent update of over 77,000 confirmed cases and over 2,200 fatalities around the world. We still expect the virus to cause additional disruptions to China’s economy.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 05 August 2022
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Aug 08, 2022
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning that nonfarm payrolls increased 528,000 for the month of July, easily topping estimates, lowering the unemployment rate to 3.5%.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 14 October 2020
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Oct 14, 2020
The global mobility playing field is equalizing. Major European countries such as Germany and France have seen a slowdown in recent weeks, leaving them right in line with the United States relative to the January baseline.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 06 November 2020
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Nov 10, 2020
As of this writing, the outcome of the U.S. presidential election is undecided. Joe Biden, however, appears likely to become president based off of his growing lead in several key states.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 18 October 2019
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Oct 19, 2019
Personal consumption is still on track for a solid Q3, but retail sales declined in September for the first time in seven months.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 03 February 2023
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Feb 04, 2023
During January, payrolls jumped by 517K, the unemployment rate fell to 3.4% and average hourly earnings rose by 0.3%. The FOMC raised the fed funds target range by 25 bps to 4.5%-4.75% this week.
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? - 17 April 2020
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Apr 18, 2020
Economic data from the early stages of the Great Shutdown have finally arrived, and they are as bad as feared. ‘Worst on record’ is about to become an all too common refrain in our commentary.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 28 February 2020
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Feb 29, 2020
The COVID-19 coronavirus hammered financial markets this week and rapidly raised the perceived likelihood and magnitude of additional Fed accommodation.
How Long Can US Businesses Remain Shut Down?
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Apr 29, 2020
The sudden stop in economic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic means that many businesses will need to rely on their cash reserves to survive the next few months.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 27 November 2019
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Nov 28, 2019
A series of U.K. general election polls released this week continue to show Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party with a significant lead over the opposition Labor Party.
