WHITE HOUSE WATCH COMMENTARY: AN INCONSEQUENTIAL VIRUS OBITUARY
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – With by one count 93,382 deaths blamed on the corona virus through Wednesday, each one a life-altering tragedy for a family, there is hardly any point chronicling the death of an inanimate process which few could care about or should. Yet the passing of the early morning ritual of […]
DATA FLASH: LACK OF DEMAND KEEPS US HOME BUILDING DEPRESSED
By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) -The U.S. April home building data, released Tuesday, reflected the lack of buyer traffic and reduced demand that has been in place since mid-March, even as mortgage rates remain near record lows. Construction was labeled as an essential business in most states during the social distancing shutdowns, but without demand […]
ZEW GERMAN EXPECTATIONS INDEX RISES AS INVESTORS SEE RECOVERY IN 2H
By Marco Babic VIENNA (MaceNews) – Expectations for Germany’s economy improved in May, rising to a reading of 51.0 from 28.2 the previous month while the assessment of current conditions fell slightly to -93.5 from -91.5, the ZEW institute said Tuesday. Markets were expecting the ZEW expectations index at about 33.5, and the current conditions […]
DATA PREVIEW: FEWER DATA POINTS IN THE MAY 18 WEEK, BUT NOT LESS NEGATIVITY
By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – After an overflow of data Friday, there is a breather coming in the May 18 week, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be anything for markets and analysts to focus on. Housing data takes up much of the schedule, starting with the National Association of Home Builders’ Housing Market […]
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 […]
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 […]
DATA FLASH: US APRIL PPI FALLS 1.3% ON ENERGY; Y/Y RATE TURNS NEGATIVE
-Prices Ex. Food/Energy -0.3%; Down 0.9% Ex-Trade Services as Well-Energy Prices Drop 19.0% on a 56.6% Plunge in Gasoline Prices By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Wholesale prices declined more than expected in April, led by energy prices again, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The inflation data are all moving in the same downward direction, […]
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,” […]
DATA FLASH: US APRIL CPI FALLS 0.8%, CORE -0.4%, LARGEST DROP EVER
–Energy Prices Account for Most of Headline Decline; Foods Prices Up–Owners’ Equivalent Rents Up 0.2%, Lodging Away from Home Cut 7.1% By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Consumer prices fell as expected in April, with a plunge in energy prices the key factor due to severely reduced demand for gasoline as consumers stayed off the […]