Washington Post (July 26)
“The U.S. economy is caught in an awkward, painful place. A confusing one, too. Growth appears to be sputtering, home sales are tumbling and economists warn of a potential recession ahead. But consumers keep spending, businesses keep posting profits and the economy keeps adding hundreds of thousands of jobs a month.”
Tags: Awkward, Businesses, Caught, Confusing, Consumers, Economists, Economy, Growth, Home sales, Painful, Profits, Recession, Spending, Sputtering, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (July 13)
“U.S. consumer inflation accelerated to 9.1% in June, a pace not seen in more than four decades, adding pressure on the Federal Reserve to act more aggressively to slow rapid price increases throughout the economy.” But there are also reasons to think inflation will be coming down as “investor expectations of slowing economic growth world-wide have led to a decline in commodity prices,” consumer spending is shifting, and excess inventory has retailers warning “of the need to discount goods, especially apparel and home goods.”
Tags: 9.1%, Aggressively, Commodity prices, Consumer spending, Discount, Economy, Excess inventory, Expectations, Fed, Growth, Inflation, Investor, June, Price increases, Retailers, Slowing, U.S.
The Economist (June 11)
“Britain is stuck in a 15-year rut. It likes to think of itself as a dynamic, free-market place, but its economy lags behind much of the rich world. There is plenty of speechifying about growth, and no shortage of ideas about how to turn the country round. But the mettle and strategic thinking that reform requires are absent.”
Tags: Dynamic, Economy, Free market, Growth, Ideas, Lags, Mettle, Reform, Rich world, Rut, Speechifying, Strategic thinking, UK
Morningstar (June 3)
“Job and wage growth” finally appear to be “moderating, and that’s good news.” This can get hidden by monthly volatility. However, the three-month rolling average of job gains “stood at a lofty 602,000” in February. “It’s now 408,000.” The economy looks to be “shifting to a steadier, healthier pace of growth.”
Tags: Economy, February, Growth, Healthier, Job, Job gains, Moderating, Rolling average, Steadier, Volatility, Wage growth
New York Times (May 21)
“The euro hasn’t fallen below the one-to-one exchange rate with the U.S. dollar for two decades. But as economic risks grow, more analysts predict deeper lows for the shared currency.” The U.S. currency is considered one of the safest havens “for money as the risk of stagflation — an unhealthy mix of stagnant economic growth and rapid inflation — stalks the globe.”
Tags: Analysts, Currency, Dollar, Economic risks, euro, Exchange rate, Growth, Havens, Money, Stagflation, Stagnant, U.S., Unhealthy
Financial Times (April 4)
The Tokyo Stock Exchange received its “biggest overhaul in 60 years,” and left many unimpressed. “The exchange is now divided into three sections—prime, standard and growth,” but “domestic and global investors said the streamlining effort was a squandered opportunity.” Prime section market cap was set at only ¥10 billion while investors had hoped for ¥100 billion. Several hundred companies that didn’t make even that low bar were still allowed exceptional entry. “To widespread disappointment, the reshuffle has not significantly raised the bar for membership, resulting in 1,839 companies qualifying for the prime section.”
Tags: Disappointment, Domestic, Global, Growth, Investors, Overhaul, Prime, Squandered Market cap, Standard, Streamlining, TSE, Unimpressed
Boston Globe (January 31)
“It’s almost as if Massachusetts has too many biotechs.” With a “surplus of startups,” reflecting “investors’ desire to pour more money into the world’s leading biotech hub,” the pipeline of qualified workers simply “can’t keep up with the burgeoning demand.” The talent shortage may “inhibit growth” and could “affect the quality of work.”
Tags: Biotech hub, Burgeoning, Demand, Growth, Investors, Leading, Massachusetts, Money, Pipeline, Qualified, Shortage, Startups, Surplus, Talent, Workers
Taipei Times (January 18)
In a development likely to affect mainland China’s growth potential, the birthrate “has fallen to its lowest level in six decades, barely outnumbering deaths last year despite major government efforts to increase population growth and stave off a demographic crisis.”
Tags: Birthrate, China, Deaths, Demographic crisis, Development, Efforts, Fallen, Government, Growth, Lowest, Mainland, Population, Potential
Wall Street Journal (January 6)
“Investors are bracing themselves for volatility in 2022. Easing supply chain snarls, potential interest rate increases and slowing growth in corporate earnings are all being closely watched. Contributing to the murky picture: a mixed economic recovery, complicated by the fast-moving Omicron variant of Covid-19, which is making it harder for investors to consider whether to readjust portfolios toward value stocks.”
Tags: 2022, COVID-19, Earnings, Growth, Interest rates, Investors, Murky, Omicron, Portfolio, Recovery, Slowing, Snarls, Supply chain, Variant, Volatility
WARC (January Issue)
“E-commerce is expected to account for one-third (33%) of sales among chain retailers worldwide this year, rising from 23% in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.” The growth is forecast to continue, “with e-commerce to take an almost two-fifths (39%) share of sales in 2026. This comes amid strong online growth and stable or declining physical store sales worldwide.”
Tags: Chain retailers, E-commerce, Growth, Online, Physical store, Pre-pandemic, Rising, Sales, Strong
