DATA FLASH: US APRIL RETAIL SALES DOWN 16.4% AS CRISIS CONTINUED
–Non-store Retail Sales Rose 8.4%, Other Categories Down–Empire State Index Rose to -48.5 in May from -78.2 in April–Industrial Production -11.2%, Manufacturing -13.7% on Vehicles By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Social distancing continued in April, cutting further in almost every retail sale category, data released Friday morning showed. At the same time, industrial production […]
WHITE HOUSE WATCH COMMENTARY: FIGHTERS, HATERS AND UNSUNG HEROES
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – There is a basic problem in news coverage of the pandemic, the fact that the virus culture wars are much more interesting than the fight against the virus itself. When President Trump calls an answer from NIH’s Tony Fauci “unacceptable” as he did Wednesday, the president’s fans are cheering […]
FED’S POWELL WARNS OF DANGERS OF LONG SHALLOW RECOVERY
–Emergency Aid So Far May Be Only the Beginning –‘Recovery May Take Some Time to Gather Momentum’ — ‘Additional Fiscal Support Could Be Costly’ –Negative Rates ‘Not Something That We’re Looking At.” By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The battle of recovery narratives – swift and sharp versus shallow and long – Wednesday saw one […]
FED’S HARKER: FED TO KEEP RATES LOW UNTIL A ‘DEMONSTRABLE MOVE’ TOWARD NORMAL ECONOMY
By Jon Hurdle PHILADELPHIA (MaceNews) – Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Patrick Harker said on Tuesday that interest rates will remain low until policy-makers see clear evidence that the economy is recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. “We have committed in the FOMC to move rates to essentially zero. The Fed Funds rate is between zero and […]
ST. LOUIS FED’S BULLARD: US ECONOMIC REBOUND LIKELY IN 2H; NO NEGATIVE RATES
NEW YORK (MaceNews) – After its record drop in the second quarter, the US economy is likely to see a record rebound in the third quarter, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said Tuesday. Bullard, answering questions during a webcast, said a record rebound in the third quarter is likely, a “big plus number,” […]
CHICAGO FED’S EVANS: FACTORIES SHOW SIGNS OF ADAPTING TO MEET HEALTH CHALLENGES
NEW YORK (MaceNews) – The economic outlook remains uncertain, but steps by manufacturers to protect workers from Covid-19 in the workplace show how businesses can adapt and recovery can unfold, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said Monday. Evans, in remarks prepared for delivery in a virtual meeting with the Lansing, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, recounted […]
WHITE HOUSE WATCH COMMENTARY: MARKETS HAPPY, PRESIDENT”S OPTIMISTIC
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The week ends with once again everything that involves the corona virus falling neatly into place : the stock markets end a stellar string of positive trading days, the president said we don’t even need a vaccine and at least 45 states have some reopenings under way despite the […]
US TREASURY TO LIFT AUCTION SIZES TO MEET MASSIVE BORROWING NEED
By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The U.S. Treasury plans to raise the sizes of all its nominal securities auctions to meet the pressing fiscal need of the COVID-19 crisis, their quarterly refunding statement released on Wednesday showed. On Monday, Treasury had announced that it expected to borrow $3 trillion in the current quarter, much […]
FED’S CLARIDA, BULLARD LOOK FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY THIS YEAR
–US Stocks Sag When Clarida Reminds Fed Emergency Lending Only Temporary WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Vice Chair Richard Clarida Tuesday said recovery from the economic shutdown “can commence in the second half” while St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said he sees the fourth quarter as when the virus can be put “behind us.” […]
CHICAGO FED’S EVANS: ‘REASONABLE’ TO EXPECT RECOVERY BY 2H 2020, BUT LOOKING ‘QUARTER BY QUARTER’
By Suzanne Cosgrove CHICAGO (MaceNews) – After a sharp contraction in the first half, it is “reasonable” to expect the US economy to pick up in the second half of 2020, Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans said Tuesday. In a media conference call, Evans cautioned that he would have to evaluate economic conditions […]