The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting will be a focal point for markets this week. The two-day meeting will culminate in a policy decision, new economic projections, and a press conference from Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday. An i

Beige Book Suggests Continued Moderate Economic Growth

The latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) Beige Book, released last week, suggested continued steady economic growth. While signs of a tightening labor market and conce

Strong manufacturing growth is a bellwether for overall economic health. Even though manufacturing is a dwindling part of domestic output, accounting for about 12% of gross domestic product (GDP), strong manufacturing growth has consistently preceded

Productivity gains play an important role in economic output, and recent gains support an encouraging picture of the U.S. economy. Productivity, first and foremost, is a primary driver of gross domestic product (GDP) growth [Figure 1]. In the second

Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s speech Friday at the Economic Policy Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, served as a fitting complement to the minutes from the Fed’s most recent policy meeting. Both Powell’s comments and

It has been a complicated year for emerging markets (EM). After a healthy start to the year, the group has struggled, given slower demand from China, tariff concerns, and a firming U.S. dollar. Most recently, Turkey’s diplomatic and political s

As the U.S. economic recovery moves into its later stages, inflation has emerged at a surprisingly slow and inconsistent rate, befuddling investors who have watched the expansion set the stage for anticipated price and wage growth. Only recently has

Healthy Job Gains Despite Missing Expectations

The Labor Department’s July jobs report, released on Friday, August 3, confirmed that the labor market remains healthy. Nonfarm payrolls rose 157,000 in July, below consensus expectati

The U.S. economy grew 4.1% in the second quarter to post its strongest quarter since the third quarter of 2014 and fifth strongest quarter of the expansion. Despite slightly missing the Bloomberg-surveyed economist consensus of 4.2%, the details behi

After a seasonally weak first quarter, expectations have been ramping up for the U.S. economy, which is now in the midst of its longest expansion since World War II. The first look at real gross domestic product (GDP) for the second quarter will be r