Economic data this week covered the consumer, industrial space and housing market, and continue to suggest the U.S. economy is only gradually losing momentum. We still view a recession is more likely than not by the end of the year, but there is no denying the underlying resiliency evident in the data.
For starters, consumers continue to spend. Retail sales rose 0.4% in April, and the control group measure, which excludes volatile categories, posted its second-largest gain in seven months. This measure feeds directly into the BEA's calculation of PCE in the GDP accounts and suggests consumer spending started the quarter on the right foot. But details were a bit mixed under the hood with only seven of the 13 retailer categories reporting a rise in April sales. Auto sales surprised to the downside, as previously released data on wholesale auto sales suggested a surge in April sales. As the following chart shows, in adjusting sales for inflation, the trend in sales has broadly moved sideways in recent months.
Like retail, auto sales played a role in manufacturing activity as well. Motor vehicle and parts production surged more in April alone than it did over the course of the past 12 months. Autos accounted for more than half of the 1% gain in April manufacturing. Excluding autos, manufacturing still rose by the most in four months and helped lift industrial production (IP). But after factoring in downward revisions to the prior two months, the level of IP was more or less in line with what was expected, which is to say essentially flat. IP is now roughly consistent with where it stood six months ago, signaling some stabilization in production after a weak start to the year.
Housing data also demonstrate some recent stabilization. Builder sentiment reached a 10-month high in May, according to the NAHB index, as buyer demand recovers and incentives are reigned in. Increased confidence is translating to activity. Total housing starts rose 2.2% to a 1.4 million-unit pace in April, with both single-family and multifamily starts advancing at a solid pace. Single-family construction now appears to be on the rebound, driven largely by a jump in construction in the West. Permits also notched a solid gain for single-family structures, though multifamily permits notched their second-straight decline and are on the slowest pace since July 2021. The pullback in multifamily permits comes as the apartment market begins to cool with a flood of new supply set to be delivered.
Existing home sales dipped 3.4% to a seasonally adjusted pace of 4.28 million in April, dropping for the second month in a row (chart). Low inventory and high mortgage rates continue to constrain the resale market. The drop in resales was broad-based as single-family homes, condos and co-ops all posted declines on the month. Existing sales weakened across nearly every region, with much of the weakness concentrated in the West. Despite the dip in the headline number, the sector may be stabilizing, as resales in April are now 7.0% above their recent low in January
Meanwhile, despite incoming data demonstrating an underlying resilience in economic growth, the Leading Economic Index (LEI) continues to show clear signs of recession. April marks the 10th straight month in which the six-month average change in the Leading Economic Index has been below a key recession threshold. We ultimately still expect the U.S. economy to slip into a mild recession before year-end as tighter policy weighs on activity and firms' ability to hire.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 16 September 2022
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Sep 20, 2022
Financial markets reacted in a zig-zag pattern to this week\'s economic data ahead of the next FOMC meeting. Price pressure is still not showing the sustained slowdown the Fed needs before it takes its foot off the throttle of tighter policy.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 18 September 2020
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Sep 15, 2020
The details were generally more favorable. The retail sectors hurt most by the pandemic saw gains in August, factory output is growing and soaring homebuilder confidence suggests soft construction data this week may be transitory.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 30 September 2022
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Oct 03, 2022
Just as I know the folks in Florida are resilient and will recover in time, incoming data indicate a slowing yet resilient economy.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 24 February 2023
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Feb 28, 2023
Existing home sales declined 0.7% in January, while new home sales leaped 7.2%. Real personal spending shot higher in January, and solid growth in discretionary spending suggests continued consumer resilience.
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? - 23 October 2020
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Oct 24, 2020
A recent strong report from the National Association of Homebuilders set the tone for another round of strong housing data. The NAHB index rose two points to a record high 85.
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.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 17 September 2021
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Sep 23, 2021
While we were picking up tree limbs from the yard, data released this week generally showed a stronger economy in August than many expected in the wake of surging COVID cases.
This Week's State Of The Economy - What Is Ahead? - 10 September 2021
Wells Fargo Economics & Financial Report / Sep 13, 2021
Data from the opening weekend of College Football indicates that we will have to endure another season of Nick Saban deification.
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.
