Last week, consumer and producer price indices showed inflation pressures continuing to gradually ease in July. Inflation's descent has occurred alongside a streak of stronger-than-expected economic data, and this week was no exception. Retail sales surprised to the upside in July, rising 0.7% over the month. Growth was fairly broad-based, with nine of the 13 retailer categories reporting increased sales (chart). Control group sales, which feeds into the Bureau of Economic Analysis' calculation of real personal consumption expenditures, rose an even stronger 1.0%. The outturn presents some upside risk to our 2.0% (annualized) call for real GDP in the third quarter; the Atlanta Fed's GDPNow model estimate for Q3 jumped nearly a full percentage point to 5.0% on the sales data.
The renewed strength in retail sales, if sustained, could lend some support to the factory sector in the coming months. Industrial production rose an above-consensus 1.0% in July, bolstered by a surge in utilities output and motor vehicle & parts manufacturing. While headline production came in better than expected, growth in manufacturing activity has been choppy this year—the overall level of manufacturing output stands just 0.2% above where it started 2023. Manufacturers remain broadly cautious of not overproducing and careful not to take on too much inventory in this tight credit environment.
Borrowing costs continue to rise. Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed mortgage rate crested a 21-year high this week (see Credit Market Insights), driven in large part by the recent ascent in longer-dated Treasury yields (see Interest Rate Watch). Higher mortgage rates crimped the housing market for the better part of 2022. Still, home buying demand has found firmer footing this year, especially in the new home market where builders are offering price cuts, rate buy-downs and other incentives to move on their inventory. The trend improvement in new home sales has put some wind in the sails of residential construction (chart). Single-family building permits rose for the sixth straight month in July and are running at a 930,000-unit annual pace. Permits typically lead housing starts by one to two months, and the recent acceleration suggests that single-family home construction will continue to recover this year.
In short, activity data show the U.S. economy expanding at a solid rate. The underlying resilience has led many economists, us included, to upgrade their outlooks. The minutes from the July FOMC meeting rang with a similar tune, as the Committee noted "the economy had been showing considerable momentum." At the same time, the FOMC stressed that "inflation remained unacceptably high" and appeared resolute in holding its benchmark rate higher for longer to ensure price growth is sustainably brought down toward its 2% objective. The participants also cited upside risks to inflation that, if realized, would necessitate further policy tightening. The hawkish stance underpins our expectation that restrictive monetary policy, even in the face of strong activity, will tip the U.S. economy into a mild recession in early 2024.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 06 December 2019
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Dec 07, 2019
The latest hiring data are an encouraging sign that the U.S. economy is withstanding the global slowdown and continued trade-related uncertainty.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 13 August 2021
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Aug 19, 2021
The general outlook remains positive as households have accumulated over $2T in excess savings on their balance sheets and net worth has risen across all income groups.
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? - 04 March 2022
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Mar 08, 2022
February\'s employment data showed the economy had strong momentum, but that seems pretty dated now with Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine and the Fed\'s shift to a more hawkish tone on monetary policy.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 29 March 2024
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Apr 03, 2024
Consumer momentum remains largely intact, inflation continues to inch back down, albeit at a slower pace, and rate-sensitive sectors stayed in a holding pattern.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 29 January 2021
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Feb 09, 2021
Economic data came in largely as expected this week and suggest continued economic recovery.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 28 May 2021
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Jun 08, 2021
This week\'s light calendar of economic reports showed supply chain disruptions tugging a little at economic growth.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 09 April 2020
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Apr 10, 2020
The Federal Reserve announced a series of measures this morning that are intended to assist households, businesses and state & local governments as they cope with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 05 May 2023
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / May 11, 2023
In April, employers added 253K jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%. During the same month, the ISM services index edged up to 51.9, while the ISM manufacturing index improved to 47.1.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 16 February 2024
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Feb 20, 2024
The out-of-consensus start to the year for economic data continued with a slip in retail sales and industrial production followed by a startling 14.8% drop in housing starts during January.
