The first estimate of 4Q GDP came out this morning. Growth of 3.3% was well above expectations of 2%. As usual, we’ll go through a couple of adjustments. DKI adjusts for change in private inventories because it reflects inventory stocking or de-stocking as opposed to actual economic activity. 4Q inventory additions were only .07% which … Read more
It was a big week for spending. The consumer bought huge amounts of holiday gifts. (For my fellow Michiganders, the consumer did get much on sale because they require big savings.) The government bought a big positive revised GDP print. And Sheldon Adelson’s widow, Miriam, bought most of a basketball team. If you don’t want … Read more
This piece was originally published on November 27th, 2023. Overview: Market pundits have been spending the last two years predicting recessions. The typical setup right now is they project it will happen in the next 2-3 quarters. Every week, I see pundits projecting a recession in 1H 2024. Many of them are the same people … Read more
All year, the market has been trading off of small differences between macro economic statistics and expectations. One theme we’ve emphasized in 2022 is that government statistics do not represent reality; but rather, are generated by government employees to advance a specific narrative. This happens under both Republican and Democratic administrations as no one wants … Read more
Introduction: We’ve noted two related market trends over the past few months. The first is bad economic news is good for the market. That’s because the Fed is more likely to slow rate hikes into a weaker economy. Click the link for a more detailed description. The second is the market has been trading based … Read more
Today, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) announced 2Q GDP that was down .9%. It’s not a big number, but it is a negative one, and that, combined with negative GDP growth in the first quarter means the US is officially in a recession. Washington D.C. politicians, political operatives, media allies, and the White … Read more
Last month, the Federal Reserve raised the fed funds rate by 75 basis points (.75%) which was the largest rate increase in nearly three decades. Today, they did it again and raised another 75 basis points. The market was already up on Google and Microsoft results that while below estimates, weren’t as bad as feared. … Read more
