The phrase “long and variable lags” coined by Milton Friedman refers to the difficulty of gauging precisely when higher interest rates will negatively affect economic growth. It is a maddeningly difficult thing to measure. During a press conference following the November 2022 FOMC meeting, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell used the word “lag” or some variation of it a combined 17 times as he pledged policymakers’ vigilance to monitoring it.
Sometimes, the impact of higher rates is quite obvious, such as the series of bank failures that occurred earlier this year. Other times, the impact of higher rates is harder to tease out and is not measured in an objective, quantifiable way like some bellwether indicators, such as the monthly jobs number or the core rate of PCE inflation. As it weighs policy decisions, the Federal Reserve seeks to better understand these more subtle ways that higher rates can creep into the economy. One of the more widely overlooked monitoring tools is a survey, conducted by the Fed, of up to 80 large domestic banks and 24 U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks. Because this survey is a vital input for the FOMC meetings, it is conducted quarterly so that results are available for the January/February, April/May, August and October/November FOMC meetings.
Sometimes, a performance is so electrifying it demands an encore. Known at the FOMC and among its fan base of econ enthusiasts as the Senior Loan Office Opinion Survey (or SLOOS, for short), this indicator has the rare characteristic of additional, off-cycle releases. The Federal Reserve is known to occasionally conduct one or two additional surveys throughout any given year. Questions are intended to turn over every stone in an attempt to identify those variable lags influencing policy. These include changes in the standards and terms of the banks' lending as well as the state of business and household demand for loans. The survey can, and often does, include questions on one or two other topics of current interest.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 11 March 2022
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Mar 16, 2022
Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine continues to consume nearly all media attention and has created a level of volatility that is not yet reflected in the data released this week.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 26August 2022
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Aug 29, 2022
I can understand how the opportunity to participate in lots of scintillating economic policy discussions could make fishing look exciting in comparison.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 24 March 2023
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Mar 29, 2023
The FOMC hiked the federal funds rate by 25 bps on Wednesday amid continued strength in the labor market and elevated inflation.
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? - 22 March 2024
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Mar 25, 2024
During February, existing home sales and housing starts both topped expectations and rose at robust rates. Meanwhile, initial jobless claims have remained subdued so far in March.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 19 May 2023
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / May 23, 2023
Economic data continue to suggest the U.S. economy is only gradually losing momentum. Consumers continue to spend, and industrial and housing activity are seeing some stabilization.
June 2020 Economy At A Glance
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Jun 18, 2020
The Fed expects to hold interest rates near zero through the end of this year, perhaps well into next year, and maybe even into ’22.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 28 April 2023
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / May 03, 2023
U.S. Economy expands but at a weak rate. Regional bank failures cause corporate investment spreads to widen again. House Republicans pass bills that affect the debt ceiling.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 17 May 2024
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / May 23, 2024
The Producer Price Index (PPI) was a bit firm in April, rising 0.5% amid higher services prices, though it did come with slight downward revisions to prior month\'s data.
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
