Author Archives: James Picerno

Macro Briefing: 2 November 2017

Trump expected to name Powell as next Fed chair today: Politico
Amazon buys cryptocurrency domain names: CNBC
ADP’s estimate of US job growth rebounds sharply in Oct: USA Today
Fed leaves rates unchanged; hints at hike in Dec: CNBC
ISM Mfg Index eases in Oct but sector’s growth for US still healthy: Reuters
US construction spending up 0.3% in Sep, rising 2.0% vs. year-ago level: AP
The case for applying behavioral economics in macroeconomics: VoxEU
US Mfg PMI rises to 9-month high, reflecting “strong” conditions: IHS Markit

ADP: US Hiring Bounces Back In October

Companies added a sharply higher number of workers in October, according to this morning’s ADP Employment Report. Private employment increased by a strong 235,000, the biggest monthly advance since May. More importantly, the one-year change accelerated to the fastest pace in more than a year – a sign that the near-term outlook for the labor market and the economy remains upbeat.
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Major Asset Classes | October 2017 | Performance Review

Equities in emerging markets bounced back in October after a mild setback at the end of the third quarter. This slice of the global stock market gained 3.5%, posting last month’s strongest performance for the major asset classes. The rest of the field was mostly higher, with losses generally contained to foreign bonds and US real estate investment trusts.
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Macro Briefing: 1 November 2017

Terror attack with truck in New York kills eight: NY Times
Japan’s Abe re-elected as prime minister: Nikkei
Federal Reserve expected to keep rates steady today: Reuters
House Republicans delay release of tax reform legislation: Politico
US Consumer Confidence Index in Oct rises to 17-year high: Bloomberg
US employment costs rise at faster rate in Q3: US Labor Dept
House prices in US up sharply in Aug despite slower sales: USA Today
Chicago PMI rises to six-year high in Oct: ISM Chicago
Eurozone GDP growth beats expectations in Q3: RTT

Macro Briefing: 31 October 2017

Former Trump campaign aides indicted in Mueller’s Russia probe: The Hill
Trump says indictments don’t prove he colluded with Russia: NY Times
House considering corporate tax cuts that phase in slowly: Bloomberg
Car sales fuel biggest rise in US consumer spending since 2009: Bloomberg
Is White House ready for Nov.’s commercial talks with China? Reuters
GDPNow’s first Q4 estimate for US growth is 2.9% vs. 3.0% in Q3: Atlanta Fed
Eurozone’s Oct. 3-mo. GDP growth estimate ticks up to 0.72%: €-Coin Indicator

Macro Briefing: 30 October 2017

Today’s expected indictments raise political risk for White House: Politico
Fed Governor Powell is the front runner for new Fed chairman: The Hill
Trump’s tax plan under scrutiny as House vote nears: Reuters
US economic growth at solid 3.0% in Q3 despite hurricanes: LA Times
Consumer Sentiment Index for US rises to 13-year high in Oct.: Bloomberg
Roughly 1/4 of Q3 GDP rise due to inventory accumulation: Econobrowser
Plans to manage China’s debt have global economic implications: Bloomberg

Book Bits | 28 October 2017

Unfinished Business: The Unexplored Causes of the Financial Crisis and the Lessons Yet to be Learned
By Tamim Bayoumi
Summary via publisher (Yale University Press)
There have been numerous books examining the 2008 financial crisis from either a U.S. or European perspective. Tamim Bayoumi, deputy director in the strategy, policy, and review department at the IMF, is the first to explain how the Euro crisis and U.S. housing crash were, in fact, parasitically intertwined. Starting in the 1980s, Bayoumi outlines the cumulative policy errors that undermined the stability of both the European and U.S. financial sectors, highlighting the catalytic role played by European mega banks that exploited lax regulation to expand into the U.S. market and financed unsustainable bubbles on both continents.
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