IMF WEO: CHINA TO ESCAPE PANDEMIC ECONOMIC DECLINES
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath’s summary of the World Economic Outlook update published Tuesday outlining sharp declines in economic activity throughout much of the world with the notable exception of China, where the pandemic originated: The world has changed dramatically in the three months since our last update of […]
DATA FLASH: US MARCH CPI FALLS 0.4% ON ENERGY DROP, CORE DIPS 0.1%
-Travel Restrictions Slash Prices for Hotels, Airline Fares -Consumer Inflation Remains Tame, Food Prices Up on Grocery Shopping By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Consumer prices fell more than expected in March, with a plunge in energy prices the main factor due to falling oil prices and a reduced demand for gasoline due to telecommuting […]
Faced With ‘Horrifying’ Oil Market Conditions, OPEC-Plus Agrees To Record Supply Reduction
VIENNA/WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The OPEC-plus group of major oil producing countries – the oil cartel’s members as well as Russia and Mexico – hammered out a tentative deal Thursday, in a marathon negotiating session, to slash their oil output levels collectively by 10 million barrels per day. Saudi Arabia and Russia, the primary combatants in […]
FED’S POWELL WARNS AGAINST ‘FALSE STARTS’ RE REOPENING
–Up to $2.3 Trillion in Virus-Related Emergency Support -Powell: Not Worrying About Inflation By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews)- Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell Thursday explained more about how the central bank is remaking itself to keep intact the structure of an enfeebled economy and he joined the chorus of voices warning against returning to work […]
DATA FLASH: US INITIAL CLAIMS REMAIN HIGH DUE TO BACKLOGS; MARCH PPI -0.2%
-Initial Claims Level Fall By 261,000 to 6.606 Mln, Continuing Claims Spike -March PPI Data Show Decline in Wholesale Inflation on Energy Prices By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The level of initial jobless claims fell modestly in the April 4 week, but the current week’s total lifted the number of new claims filed over […]
Oil Analysis: Low Expectations For Agreement At OPEC-Plus Virtual Gathering
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Members of the Organization for Oil Exporting Countries, along with Russia, Mexico and possibly Canada as well as Norway, are set to meet virtually Thursday to hash out an agreement to halt the months-long plunge in oil prices. However, expectations are low that a deal will be reached to ease a situation […]
DATA FLASH: US FEBRUARY JOLTS DATA POINT TO SLOWDOWN BEFORE MARCH DROP
-Openings, Hiring Slow Even Before COVID; Layoffs to Surge in March By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly JOLTS report, released Tuesday morning, showed that job openings and hiring conditions slowed in February and layoffs rose, even before the full COVID impact. Job openings fell to 6.882 million in […]
WHITE HOUSE WATCH COMMENTARY: BRACING FOR THE WORST YET
–‘There’ll Be A Lot of Death’ By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The president and his experts Saturday warned the nation that next week and the week after are going to see virus death tolls that will far eclipse anything seen so far, as the increasing number of hotspots climb the steepening curve toward their […]
DATA FLASH: US MARCH PAYROLLS DROP 701,000, BUT IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING
–Unemployment Rate Rises to 4.4% from 3.5%, Some See It Rising to 30% By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The March employment report was much weaker than expected, but only reflected the very start of the economic shutdowns. The March 14 survey week fell before the bulk of the government-mandated business shutdowns. As a result, […]
Updating CBO’s Economic Forecast to Account for the Pandemic
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office update text of pandemic-related economic assumptions posted Friday morning by CBO Director Philip Swagel: CBO expects that the economy will contract sharply during the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the continued disruption of commerce stemming from the spread of the novel […]