Featured in This Report Market Drivers the Day Ahead Spotlight

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Featured in This Report Market Drivers the Day Ahead Spotlight GLOBAL PORTFOLIO ADVISORY GROUP Morning Strategy Update August 17, 2021 Featured in this report Market snapshot: Spotlight: Index performance Chairman Powell hosts town hall today before the minutes Overnight market action from July’s FOMC meeting are published Wednesday Market drivers: Hybrids corner: U.S. retail sales fell in July by more than forecast Top/bottom performing Canadian preferred share and convertible debenture securities Production at U.S. factories strengthened in July by the most in four months Today's economic data releases and events U.K. wage growth hit a record Notable earnings releases The day ahead Market drivers Spotlight U.S. Chairman Powell hosts town hall today before the minutes from July’s FOMC meeting are published Wednesday U.S. retail sales fell in July by more than forecast reflecting a steady shift in spending toward services, and indicating Chairman Powell’s town hall meeting today could characterize consumers may be growing more price conscious as developments from July’s FOMC meeting minutes and inflation picks up while supply issues persist. provide clues for the upcoming Jackson Hole symposium– Investors are eagerly anticipating the Jackson Hole Production at U.S. factories strengthened in July by the Symposium, scheduled for August 26th-28th, looking for most in four months, rebounding above pre-pandemic updates on policy and whether the impressive July levels and indicating manufacturers are coping with employment report will bring forward the likelihood of bond snarled supply chains and shortages. tapering. U.K. The path to “substantial further progress” for the U.S. Federal U.K. wage growth hit a record as companies posted more Reserve rests with the labour market – Several Fed officials, than 1 million new job vacancies for the first time in an including regional branch presidents James Bullard of St. unparalleled scramble for staff following the loosening of Louis, Robert Kaplan of Dallas, and Esther George of Kansas lockdown rules. City, have pushed for the central bank to begin removing stimulus as soon as the September meeting. The day ahead Chart of the day: Notwithstanding recent increases, average Chairman Jerome Powell hosts a town hall this afternoon inflation readings are fallen short of the Fed’s target in the last with students and educators that could be used as an decade opportunity to prime the market for what’s coming. 4.5% Investors are also looking to next week’s Jackson Hole symposium for an update on Federal Reserve policy. 4.0% 3.5% 3.0% 2.5% 2.0% 1.5% 5 Yr. Average YoY Inflation YoY Average 5 Yr. 1.0% 0.5% 0.0% 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Source: Scotia Wealth Management, Bloomberg GLOBAL PORTFOLIO ADVISORY GROUP Market snapshot YTD Equity Indices Level %Δ 1D %Δ YTD Overnight market action: Tot. Ret. Equities: U.S. equities dropped from a record amid S&P/TSX Composite 20,395 -0.4 17.0 19.0 mixed economic reports and growing concern that S&P 500 4,454 -0.6 18.6 19.6 more shutdowns are becoming necessary to contain a S&P 500 (CAD) 5,619 -0.3 17.5 18.5 fast-spreading pandemic. MSCI All-Country ex-U.S. 349 -0.7 7.0 8.9 U.S. bond yields: The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note is lower by 1bps, trading at 1.25%. The spread MSCI Emerging Markets 1,272 -0.7 -1.5 0.0 between the 2-year and 10-year bond yields has YTD Fixed Income Indices Level %Δ 1D %Δ YTD narrowed to ~104bps. Tot. Ret. Commodities: The price of WTI crude oil is lower by ICE BofAML Global Corp 361 0.2 -0.8 -0.8 0.1%, trading at US$67.20. The price of copper is ICE BofAML Global HY 459 0.0 2.4 2.4 trading lower this morning while the price of gold edges ICE BofAML Global Sov 347 0.3 -3.3 -3.3 higher. S&P/TSX Preferred Share 688 0.0 11.6 11.6 Fixed income update: This morning, U.S. Treasury yields are flat-to-down Currencies Spot %Δ 1D %Δ YTD %Δ 1 Year small across the curve. Credit spreads are little soft with CAD 0.79 -0.3 0.9 4.5 High Yield (HY) at 344bps and Investment Grade (IG) 94bps. Four IG issuers priced US$3.2bn of new debt EUR 1.17 -0.3 -3.9 -1.1 yesterday. Borrowers paid little to no concessions due JPY 109.43 -0.2 -5.6 -3.1 to relatively strong demand despite an elevated volatility. Three companies are looking to tap the USD 90.82 -0.3 -1.1 -1.1 market this morning, according to Bloomberg. In HY, Commodities Spot %Δ 1D %Δ YTD %Δ 1 Year three borrowers priced about US$2.0bn yesterday amid softer market tone. There are another US$2.0bn Copper 4.24 -2.1 20.4 46.0 of deals that are expected to price next few days. Gold 1,789.10 0.1 -5.6 -9.9 WTI Crude Oil 67.20 -0.1 38.5 56.7 WCS-WTI Price Diff. -12.75 0.8 16.4 -37.8 Current Policy 5 Yr. 10 Yr. Macro Inflation Rate Yield Yield Canada 3.1% 0.25% 0.81% 1.15% U.S. 5.4% 0.25% 0.76% 1.25% Europe 2.2% -0.50% -0.73% -0.47% Japan -0.1% -0.10% -0.13% 0.02% 3-mo performance summary 7.0% 4.7% 1.8% 1.0% 0.6% 1.4% 1.3% 1.4% -3.0% -4.2% -10.3% S&P/TSX S&P 500 MSCI All- MSCI BofAML BofAML BofAML S&P/TSX Gold WTI Crude Copper Composite Country ex- Emerging Global Corp Global HY Global Sov Preferred Oil U.S. Markets Share 2 GLOBAL PORTFOLIO ADVISORY GROUP Market drivers U.S. U.S. retail sales fell in July by more than forecast reflecting a steady shift in spending toward services, and indicating consumers may be growing more price conscious as inflation picks up while supply issues persist. The value of overall retail purchases dropped 1.1% last month, falling more than the 0.3% decline predicted by consensus and reversing last month’s upwardly revised 0.7% increase. Total receipts trailed estimates by a wide margin as declines in motor vehicle and e- commerce sales weighed on the figure. Restaurant spending increased, though at a more moderate pace than in previous months. Motor vehicle and parts dealer sales slumped 3.9% in July after a 2.2% slide a month earlier, likely in response to limited inventory and higher prices as automakers face supply chain constraints. Sales at non-store retailers, which include e- commerce, fell 3.1% in July, a sharp slowdown from the prior month. Overall, 8 of 13 categories registered decreases in July. Delta variant concerns likely did not affect today’s numbers as cases picked up later in the month and restaurants, which typically hardest hit by contagion concerns, were one of only a handful of segments to see higher sales volumes. Indeed, we think supply issues are playing a large part in holding back sales. U.S. retailers' inventory-to-sales ratio is at a record low, and we will get a fuller picture when July inventory data is published next week but supply shortfalls stemming from container shortages, port congestion, and difficulty getting orders into the country are evident across the economy. Production at U.S. factories strengthened in July by the most in four months, rebounding above pre-pandemic levels and indicating manufacturers are coping with snarled supply chains and shortages. The 1.4% increase in manufacturing production followed a revised 0.3% drop in June, while total industrial production, which also includes mining and utility output, rose 0.9% in July. Resilient business spending, steady consumer demand and lean inventories have fueled output growth but also driven up order backlogs as producers grapple with difficulties sourcing materials and parts. The mismatch of supply and demand highlights room for further growth in factory output, especially if producers have more success filling open positions. Input costs were up 23% from a year ago, according to recent data, while job openings in the space stood at a record 826,000 last month. U.K. U.K. wage growth hit a record as companies posted more than 1 million new job vacancies for the first time in an unparalleled scramble for staff following the loosening of lockdown rules. The jobless rate fell to 4.7% in the three months to June from 4.8% in May while employment rose by 95,000, each roughly in-line with consensus expectations. The rise in vacancies in the face of an elevated unemployment rate with about two million people still on furlough suggests some friction in the labour market, preventing a smooth reallocation of workers. That is one reason why wage growth has picked up in recent months, accelerating again in the three months to June to 7.4%. We think is it is likely that the unemployment rate remains steady in the near-term, while outlook risks are fairly evenly balanced. The revival in demand could drive unemployed persons back to work or he winding down of the furlough scheme, which became less generous from the start of July and will expire at the end of September, could put upward pressure on the unemployment rate. The Bank of England (BoE) is unlikely to alter its policy mix until it sees how the labour market responds to the ending of wage support.
Recommended publications
  • IFFCBANO Symposium: Keeping Trade Moving
    IFFCBANO Symposium: Keeping Trade Moving Adrienne C. Slack Regional Executive Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta - New Orleans Branch The views expressed here are my own, and not necessarily those of the Atlanta Fed or the Federal Reserve System. The Fed’s Dual Mandate • The Fed is pursuing two objectives as given to us by Congress— maximum employment and price stability. • The maximum level of employment is largely determined by nonmonetary factors that affect the structure and dynamics of the job market, although a stronger economy does help with job creation. • The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has chosen an inflation target of two percent per year over the medium term as measured by the annual change in the price index for personal consumption expenditures. 2 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Randal Quarles Jerome H. Powell Richard H. Clarida Lael Brainard Vice Chair for Chair Vice Chair Supervision Vacant Michelle W. Bowman Vacant 3 The Federal Reserve Bank Presidents Loretta Mester Charles Evans Neel Kashkari Patrick Harker Eric Rosengren Cleveland Chicago Minneapolis Philadelphia Boston 4th District 7th District 9th District 3rd District 1st District John Williams New York 2nd District Tom Barkin Richmond 5th District Mary Daly San Francisco Esther George Raphael Bostic Robert Kaplan James Bullard 12th District Kansas City Atlanta 10th District Dallas St. Louis 6th District 11th District 8th District 4 The Sixth District Information Flow Public Sixth Policy District Business Sixth FOMC District Research Sixth Atlanta District Board of President Directors 6 Summary of the Economic Environment: The May 2019 FOMC Policy Statement • Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in March indicates that the labor market remains strong and that economic activity rose at a solid rate.
    [Show full text]
  • Weekly Economic Commentary
    LPL FINANCIAL RESEARCH Weekly Economic Commentary December 10, 2012 Festive Fed FAQ John Canally, CFA Why Write About the Federal Reserve (Fed) This Week When the Economist Fiscal Cliff Is Looming? LPL Financial The Fed may deliver the most important policy announcement of the week, given the ongoing behind-the-scenes fiscal policy debate in Washington. The Fed continues to play a key role in markets and the economy, and that Highlights will continue into 2013 and beyond. Although Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke We expect the Federal Reserve (Fed) to has said that the Fed cannot offset the impact of the fiscal cliff, Fed continue Operation Twist at this week’s policymakers are keenly aware that they remain the “only game in town” Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) when it comes to simulative policy. meeting. Before ending quantitative easing (QE), the Fed has repeatedly said it is looking What Is the Schedule of Events for the Fed This Week? for “sustained and substantial” improvement in the labor market. The Fed holds its eighth and final Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of 2012 this Tuesday and Wednesday, December 11 – 12. The The Fed’s communication policy is likely to be at the heart of the agenda. meeting will be followed by an FOMC statement at 12:30 PM ET, the FOMC’s latest economic and Fed funds projections at 2:00 PM ET, and Looking ahead, the rotation to new FOMC members in January 2013 is unlikely to Chairman Bernanke’s final press conference of 2012 begins at 2:15 PM ET.
    [Show full text]
  • THE RIDE Larger, Less Crowded Areas Seeing Faster Growth
    FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF KANSAS CITY / SPRING 2019 ENJOYING THE RIDE Larger, less crowded areas seeing faster growth ANNUAL REPORT EDITION Stability and Stewardship Why Is Wage Growth Low? | Diversity and Inclusion Report | New Tenth District Directors TEN MAGAZINE | | SPRING 2019 A FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF KANSAS CITY / SPRING 2019 FEATURES VOLUME 14 • ISSUE 4 • ISSN 1554-7469 SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Diane Raley VICE PRESIDENT Krissy Young ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT & PRODUCTION ADVISOR Lowell Jones 20 ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT & FASTER GROWTH Year-over-year percent change, seasonally adjusted PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER Over several years, locations with populations of 500,000 Bill Medley6 to 3 million often grew faster than the national6 rate. EDITOR4 4 Stan Austin MAGAZINE2 DESIGNER 2 Alison Reichert 0 WHY IS WAGE GROWTH0 SO LOW? MANAGING EDITOR Despite continued improvement Rick Babson-2 in labor market -conditions,2 low productivity growth affects CREATIVE DIRECTOR compensation. Angela -Anderson4 12 -4 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013 2016 CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS Real compensation per hour Su Bacon, Gary Barber, Sam Chapman, Cynthia Edwards, David McNeese, Sarah Pope, Marlina Yates DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION In its yearly report to Congress, the RESEARCH CONTRIBUTORS Kansas City Fed outlines how its Jun Nie, Jordan Rappaport, business practices represent the range Willem Van Zandweghe of backgrounds and experiences 30 across the Tenth District. TEN magazine is a quarterly publication of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City focused on the connection between the Bank’s research and the Tenth Federal Reserve District. TEN features articles on the Federal Reserve’s history, structure and operations. The views and opinions expressed in TEN are not 2018 ANNUAL REPORT necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank A detailed look at Bank operations, of Kansas City, the Federal Reserve System, its Tenth District officers, directors, advisory governors, officers or representatives.
    [Show full text]
  • NY Fed President ❖ Lael Brainard – Governor ❖ Randall Quarles – Vice Chair for Supervision ❖ Michelle Bowman-Governor
    1 2 Interest Rates – from 3000 BC Source: Business Insider 3 Yield Curve 101 ❖ Fed Funds – 2.40% (2.25%-2.50%) ❖ +75 bps ❖ =3.15% 2-year note yield (2.52%) ❖ +100 bps ❖ =4.15% 10-year note yield (2.66%) ❖ +50 bps ❖ =4.40% 30-year bond yield (3.00%) ❖ Yield Curve is Flat 4 Treasury Yield Curve-2018-2019 Source: Bloomberg 5 Treasury Yield Curve 2018-2019 Source: Bloomberg 6 U.S. vs. German Yield Curves Source: Bloomberg 7 Source: Walt Handelsman - Newsday 8 Economic Growth – 2004-2018 Source: BEA & Bloomberg 9 Economic Growth – 1947-2018 Source: BEA & Bloomberg 10 11 Key to Economy – Innovative New Jobs 12 Beneficiaries of Economic Innovation 13 Measures of Unemployment Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics •U-3: Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (this is the definition used for the official unemployment rate). •U-6: Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers. 14 U.S. Unemployment Rate U-3 Source: BLS and Bloomberg 15 U.S. Unemployment Rate U-6 Source: BLS and Bloomberg 16 U.S. Non-farm Payrolls (2009-Present) Source: BLS and Bloomberg 17 U.S. Non-farm Payrolls (1939-Present) Source: BLS and Bloomberg 18 Weekly Initial Jobless Claims(2009-Present) Source: DOL and Bloomberg 19 Weekly Initial Jobless Claims(1967-Present) Source: DOL and Bloomberg 20 21 German Inflation – 1918-1923 Source: BEA & Bloomberg 22 Wages vs Inflation (PCE Core YoY) – 2007-2019 Source: BEA, BLS & Bloomberg
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 NAFCU Economic Presentation Karen Gilmore VP & Regional Executive
    2018 NAFCU Economic Presentation Karen Gilmore VP & Regional Executive The views expressed are my own, and not necessarily those of the Atlanta Fed or the Federal Reserve System. Janet Yellen Jerome Powell 3 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Jerome H. Powell Richard H. Clarida Lael Brainard Randal Quarles Chair Vice Chair Vice Chair for Supervision Vacant Vacant Vacant 4 The Federal Reserve Bank Presidents Loretta Mester Charles Evans Neel Kashkari Patrick Harker Eric Rosengren Cleveland Chicago Minneapolis Philadelphia Boston 4th District 7th District 9th District 3rd District 1st District John Williams New York 2nd District Tom Barkin Richmond 5th District Raphael Bostic Mary Daly Esther George Robert Kaplan James Bullard Atlanta San Francisco Kansas City Dallas St. Louis 6th District 12th District 10th District 11th District 8th District 5 Summary of Economic Projections Midpoint of target range or target level for the Federal Funds Rate Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System September 26, 2018 6 The Fed’s Dual Mandate • The Fed is pursuing two objectives as given to us by Congress—maximum employment and price stability. • The maximum level of employment is largely determined by nonmonetary factors that affect the structure and dynamics of the job market, although a stronger economy does help with job creation. • The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has chosen an inflation target of two percent year-over-year growth over the longer term. 7 Payroll Employment Changes Payroll Employment Changes thousands,
    [Show full text]
  • Dialogue with The
    A Conversation with the Fed Sarah Arteaga Regional Director Florida Trust Seminar August 13, 2021 The views expressed are mine, and not necessarily those of the Atlanta Fed or the Federal Reserve System. The Line Up • The Fed • Regional Economic Information Network (REIN) • The Economy and the Monetary Policy Response Functions of the Federal Reserve • Supervision, Regulation and Credit • Financial Services • Monetary Policy 3 Supervision, Regulation and Credit The Fed Supervises: The Fed is one of the regulating • State-chartered banks bodies along with: • Bank and financial holding • The Federal Deposit Insurance companies Corp (FDIC) • International banking organizations • The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) 4 Financial Services • The Reserve Banks operate collectively to: • Distribute currency and cash • Process checks • Process electronic payments • The Federal Reserve promotes efficiency in the payment system 5 Monetary Policy The Fed’s Dual Mandate from Congress: • Maximum employment • Price stability Tools the Fed uses to meet this mandate: • Reserve requirements • Discount rate • Open market operations 6 Decentralized Structure of the Fed 12 Federal Reserve Board of Governors Banks & their Branches Washington, DC and Directors Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) 7 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Jerome H. Powell Richard H. Clarida Lael Brainard Randal Quarles Chair Vice Chair Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman Christopher J. Waller Vacant 8 The Federal Reserve Bank Presidents Charles
    [Show full text]
  • FOMC Meeting Transcript, September 20-21, 2011
    September 20–21, 2011 1 of 290 Meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on September 20–21, 2011 A joint meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System was held in the offices of the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., starting on Tuesday, September 20, 2011, at 10:30 a.m., and continuing on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. Ben Bernanke, Chairman William C. Dudley, Vice Chairman Elizabeth Duke Charles L. Evans Richard W. Fisher Narayana Kocherlakota Charles I. Plosser Sarah Bloom Raskin Daniel K. Tarullo Janet L. Yellen Christine Cumming, Jeffrey M. Lacker, Dennis P. Lockhart, Sandra Pianalto, and John C. Williams, Alternate Members of the Federal Open Market Committee James Bullard and Eric Rosengren, Presidents of the Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Boston, respectively Esther L. George, First Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City William B. English, Secretary and Economist Deborah J. Danker, Deputy Secretary Matthew M. Luecke, Assistant Secretary David W. Skidmore, Assistant Secretary Michelle A. Smith, Assistant Secretary Scott G. Alvarez, General Counsel Thomas C. Baxter, Deputy General Counsel James A. Clouse, Thomas A. Connors, Steven B. Kamin, Loretta J. Mester, Simon Potter, David Reifschneider, Harvey Rosenblum, and David W. Wilcox, Associate Economists Brian Sack, Manager, System Open Market Account Jennifer J. Johnson, Secretary of the Board, Office of the Secretary, Board of Governors Patrick M. Parkinson, Director, Division of Banking Supervision and Regulation, Board of Governors September 20–21, 2011 2 of 290 Nellie Liang, Director, Office of Financial Stability Policy and Research, Board of Governors Robert deV.
    [Show full text]
  • Monetary Policy and the State of the Economy
    MONETARY POLICY AND THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION FEBRUARY 27, 2013 Printed for the use of the Committee on Financial Services Serial No. 113–3 ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 80–869 PDF WASHINGTON : 2013 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 16:58 Aug 02, 2013 Jkt 080869 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 K:\DOCS\80869.TXT TERRI HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES JEB HENSARLING, Texas, Chairman GARY G. MILLER, California, Vice Chairman MAXINE WATERS, California, Ranking SPENCER BACHUS, Alabama, Chairman Member Emeritus CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York PETER T. KING, New York NYDIA M. VELA´ ZQUEZ, New York EDWARD R. ROYCE, California MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma BRAD SHERMAN, California SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York SCOTT GARRETT, New Jersey MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas RUBE´ N HINOJOSA, Texas PATRICK T. MCHENRY, North Carolina WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri JOHN CAMPBELL, California CAROLYN MCCARTHY, New York MICHELE BACHMANN, Minnesota STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts KEVIN McCARTHY, California DAVID SCOTT, Georgia STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico AL GREEN, Texas BILL POSEY, Florida EMANUEL CLEAVER, Missouri MICHAEL G. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania GWEN MOORE, Wisconsin LYNN A. WESTMORELAND, Georgia KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota BLAINE LUETKEMEYER, Missouri ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado BILL HUIZENGA, Michigan JAMES A.
    [Show full text]
  • “The Fed Blinked” Market Commentary – February 2019
    “The Fed Blinked” Market Commentary – February 2019 By Frank C. Fontana, CFA President, Banyan Asset Management, Inc. Written January 31, 2019 – www.banyan-asset.com The partial government shutdown forced the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis to delay the release date for the advance estimate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of 2018. While the exact release date has not yet been determined, it will likely be in the next week or two. Meanwhile, in its regularly scheduled announcement on monetary policy on January 30, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) wrote that “economic activity has been rising at a solid rate”. It added that “household spending has continued to grow strongly, while growth of business fixed investment has moderated from its rapid pace earlier last year.” The FOMC expects “sustained expansion of economic activity, strong labor market conditions, and inflation near (its) 2 percent objective as the most likely outcomes.” A major clue that the Federal Reserve “blinked” (i.e., caved to stock market weakness) happened live on television on January 4 during an interview with Fed Chair Jerome Powell and past Fed Chairs Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke. Powell stated “we’re listening carefully to the message that markets are sending”. Moments later the stock market took off like a rocket, with the S&P 500 rising more than 3% that day. The FOMC announcement on January 30 confirmed this dovish tone, leaving its federal funds rate alone and stating that “in light of global economic and financial developments and muted inflation pressures, the Committee will be patient as it determines what future adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate may be appropriate.” Fed funds futures currently project that the Fed is done tightening interest rates for this cycle.
    [Show full text]
  • Fed Listens Covid-19 Update
    Perspectives from the Public Part of the Federal Reserve’s Review of Monetary Policy Strategy, Tools, and Communication Practices June 2020 FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM CONTENTS INTRODUCTORY NOTE FROM CHAIR POWELL . .v FOREWORD: FED LISTENS COVID-19 UPDATE . .vii PART 1: THE FED LISTENS INITIATIVE . 1 PART 2: EVENT SUMMARIES . 11 Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas . 11 Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis . 20 Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond . 27 Federal Reserve Bank of Boston . 36 Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia . 41 Federal Reserve Bank of New York . 45 Federal Reserve System . 48 Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland . 57 Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta . 68 Federal Reserve Bank of St . Louis . 75 Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco . 91 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System . 97 Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City . 101 Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago . 104 Update, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System . 109 PART 3: FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM RESEARCH CONFERENCE . 113 ABBREVIATIONS . 131 INTRODUCTORY NOTE FROM CHAIR POWELL In 2019, the Federal Reserve launched—for the first time—a review of the monetary policy strategy, tools, and communication practices we use to pursue our congressionally mandated goals of maximum employment and price stability . Reviews like ours are part of good institutional practice, providing an opportunity to take a step back and ask whether we could be doing our job more effectively . A central part of our review was Fed Listens, a series of events held around the country to consult with a range of organizations—employee groups and union members, small business owners, residents of low- and moderate-income communities, retirees, and others—on the effects that labor market conditions, inflation, and interest rates have on them .
    [Show full text]
  • 2019-2020 Fomc Voting Members:Their Voices
    2019-2020 FOMC VOTING MEMBERS: THEIR VOICES By Maeve O’Brien The Fed is expected to hold rates steady in 2020 and voting member turnover should not bring a large overall Looking at a big picture view of voting turnover in the 2020 FOMC, it seems as though there are two hawks shift to policy direction. 2019 alternates Harker, Kaplan, Kashkari, and Mester will replace outgoing Bullard, Evans, replacing two hawks, one dove replacing one dove, and one centrist replacing one centrist. However, while there George, and Rosengren as 2020 voters. The Board of Governors and NY Fed President Williams are always voting appears to be a one-to-one replacement for each non-returning voting member based on policy leanings, the new members of the FOMC. These returning members are mostly centrist with some dovish leanings by Governor dynamic of the FOMC voting members will depend on marginal differences in opinions amongst the new voters. Brainard. Note that there remain two vacancies on the Board. Judy Shelton and Christopher Waller were named Will Mester be as hawkish as Rosengren? Will Kaplan remain centrist or will he begin to lean slightly hawkish? by President Trump but have not been formally nominated. Both are considered to be very dovish. Only time will tell but we should get our first clues at the next FOMC meeting January 29. DOVE HAWK JAMES BULLARD: JOHN WILLIAMS: ROBERT KAPLAN: LORETTA MESTER: Non-returning voting member 2019 Returning voting member 2019 Incoming voting member 2020 Incoming voting member 2020 (dissented on Sept 2019 rate cut in favor of a larger rate cut) “ The economy is in a good place, and monetary policy is as well… Of “ Do we act now or do we let this situation breathe a little bit more (opposed past 3 rate cuts in favor of holding rates steady) “ The bottom line is that U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Opening Remarks and Introduction Esther L. George President And
    Opening Remarks and Introduction Esther L. George President and Chief Executive Officer Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City April 13, 2021 Racism and the Economy: Focus on the Economics Profession An Online Series Hosted by the 12 Federal Reserve Banks Hello and welcome to today’s Racism and the Economy series, presented by the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks. I’m Esther George, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. This landmark series focuses on inequality in our society and examines ways in which structural racism manifests in our economy. Today’s event is the fifth in this series, and it is focused on the economics profession. The discussion will consider racism and the pipeline into the field of economics, racism and the practice of economics, and promoting inclusivity and effecting change. The economics profession has widely acknowledged that it has a problem with diversity in its ranks. Last year, the American Economic Association hosted a panel titled, “How Can Economics Solve Its Race Problem?” During the session, panelists cited “poor leadership, institutional dysfunctions, discouragement from specializing in the study of race, and a toxic professional culture.”1 Such issues would be a problem in any profession, but it is a particular problem in economics, where the field informs policy judgments with wide-ranging effects on the American public’s well-being. The Federal Reserve System is a large employer of economists in the United States and plays a unique role in shaping the field. Economists contribute to all aspects of our mission including monetary policy, supervision and regulation, and payments.
    [Show full text]