economic statistics

Fed Raises Rates – More Coming

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fed raises interest rates march

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates one-quarter of a point, or 0.25%, in a widely expected move. The benchmark rate is now technically the range between 0.75 percent and 1.0 percent, although most people refer to this simply as 0.75%. As pretty much everyone predicted, the Fed raised interest rates at its March meeting. This is the second interest rate hike in just three months, and the third one overall since the Great Recession. Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen said, “The simple message is, the economy is doing well.” What Happens Next? While some indicators are showing signs of inflation, there is also an increasing concern that the economy isn’t as robust as some might think. Things certainly look good right now, but few analysts look as this economy as a powerful train moving forward, so much as a boat drifting in the right direction and easily pushed off course. As a result, the guidance from the Fed continues to be for three total interest hikes in 2017, meaning that currently they expect two more hikes between now and December. Just when those hikes will come depends a great deal on how the economy fares. Another few months of good job …

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June Jobs and Mid-Year Economy Review

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Monitoring the economy is tricky business. The monthly reports that we get from the government require gathering reams of data over hundreds of hours, and all manner of processing to get us a simple sounding number like, “The U.S. economy added 287,000 new jobs.” Even then, those numbers are routinely readjusted up or down later as more data comes in. The May employment numbers were enough to stop a Fed rate hike in its tracks. Are the new June numbers good enough to put an interest rate increase back on track? June Employment and the Fed Employment numbers are very important to the Fed. A tightening labor market often is visible before any actual signs of inflation. The theory is that lower unemployment forces businesses to offer higher wages in order to attract and retain workers, which will eventually lead them to raise prices in order to cover higher costs. So, if employment jumps too fast, too far, it might be time to take a look at a rate hike. The increasing transparency and ability to buy goods online has shaken this up a bit, however. Just because Macy’s raises prices on something doesn’t mean that you have to pay …

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June Rate Hike Is Off

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fed interest rates caution

Last week, the April inflation numbers came in a little bit high. At the time, I (and several other analysts) pointed out that the higher number was almost all due to a long coming recovery in fuel prices, and that even with that higher number, inflation was nowhere near being a real issue. However, the Fed members went running to just about any media outlet that would listen telling everyone that those shaky numbers were the reason the Fed was very likely to raise interest rates in June. I wrote at the time, that it seems like this Federal Reserve is more interested in showing that they are inflation hawks than they are interested in following the actual data. The Federal Reserve has two official mandates, to keep inflation in check, and to keep employment as close to full employment as possible. This begs the question of why, exactly, the Fed seems so keen on raising rates right away. Employment is doing better, but nowhere near full, and wage growth is stagnant, so no issues there. The twelve month inflation rate, even with April’s increase, is just 1.1 percent, well short of the Fed’s supposed 2.0 percent inflation target. A …

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Inflation Rises… Sort of…

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Today’s version of Let’s Overreact to Economic Statistics comes in the form of news articles noting the “biggest rise in inflation in three years!” The April inflation number, released today, serves up a 0.4% seasonally adjusted increase. This is the biggest inflation number since February 2013. So, does that mean the Fed will race to raise interest rates? Inflation and The Fed Believe it, or not, not all inflation is bad. In fact, some inflation is necessary for a healthy economy. The current Fed repeatedly has stated that it targets inflation at an annual rate of 2.0%. Even with the 0.4 percent increase for April, the 12 month inflation rate is just 1.1 percent. So, inflation isn’t exactly roaring ahead, and the Fed is unlikely to make a snap move in reaction. However, what doesn’t really get enough attention is that the 2.0% target number isn’t really a “close enough” sort of target for most economists and people at the Fed. A number of 2.1% is likely to make people nervous. That’s because while a 2 percent annual inflation is a sign of a healthy economy, anything approaching a 3 percent annual inflation triggers worries about an overheating economy, and …

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Interest Rate Confusion – Raise or Hold?

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I’ve been writing about interest rates much more than I wanted to lately because I often write about what people talk to me about, or what I hear all over the place, and interest rates seem to be holding people’s attention. I’d like to offer up some ideas about how to think about interest rates. If everyone started keeping these things in mind, maybe there wouldn’t be so much talk. Interest Rates are a Continuum One of the biggest problems people have wrapping their heads around the concept of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates is that it is not some sort of on or off type thing. Sure, each increase is a Yes or No to the question of whether or not the Fed will raise interest rates, but the resulting rates are not simply “high” or “low”. Consider the Fed’s interest rate increase in December. It raised interest rates from 0% to 0.25%. Yes, that is an increase. Yes, it is the first increase in some time. But, is there really much difference in the world because of it? Your credit card interest rate, or your adjustable mortgage interest rate may not have even changed because so many …

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Fed Thoughts Economy and Interest Rates

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Every six months, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board testifies before Congress. For the most part, the interesting, fact-based, information comes out in the Chairman’s open statement to Congress. After that, as all things Congress do, the hearing dissolves into a politically motivated bit of staged theater in which various Congressmen “ask questions” that end up being a lot more political posturing than actual questions. Still, there is often a lot of information in that opening statement, which is helpfully posted on the Fed’s website, if you want to read the whole thing without seeing it through the lens of the media. (or on a former financial advisor’s personal finance blog 🙂 The U.S. Economy and Interest Rates The Fed raised interest rates for the first time in many years in December. Since then, the employment picture in the U.S. continues to improve with the unemployment rate dropping to 4.9 percent in January. The economy is growing as well, with the real gross domestic product estimated to have increased about 1.75 percent during 2015. If that was the whole picture, then the rest of this talk would have been about inflation and raising interest rates. But, of course, the …

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Fed Does Not Raise Rates Market Confused

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So, this is interesting. The Federal Reserve did not raise interest rates at its September (2015) meeting. This is not surprising, per se. There were numerous international banks and organizations, plus tons of U.S. economists who worried that an increase would be too soon for a fragile economy. Here is where it gets weird. The stock market LOVES to plunge in reaction to a rate increase. Sure, it only lasts a day or two, but there’s nothing quite as fulfilling to a stock market index as dropping 200 or 300 points whenever the Fed raises interest rates. The catch is that Wall Street actually secretly loves interest rate hikes. A Federal Reserve increasing interest rates is the equivalent of a stern father taking away our credit card for our own good. The market throws a temper tantrum, of course, but it’s better for everyone in the long term. If the Fed raises interest rates, then there won’t be an inflation boogeyman. Based on all the pundits and analysts out there, it sure seems like the stock market was expecting a rate increase and all ready to throw its fit and wring its hand, probably just until the weekend, but still. …

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Stock Market Down On Jobs

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down about 300 points right now because of a good jobs report. As the main character in one of my daughter’s shows says, “What the huh?” Jobs Good, Rates Rise? No one thing seems to move the stock market more regularly than the jobs report. As always, this new report is actually about last month. After all, it takes some time to collect and calculate the data. What makes this particular jobs report so important is its timing. The Federal Reserve Board is scheduled to meet in September. The Fed has expressed a willingness, if not a desire, to raise interest rates this year if the economy is doing well enough. Everything looked pretty good for a rate increase in September, but then the whole China market blowup thing happened and with it, the U.S. stock market took a hit, and the idea of a rate hike got a little more iffy. But, with a good jobs report, the rate hike is back on the table… maybe. You see, the jobs report was good, but not good enough to make this a no brainer. Jobs were created, but well below the 200,000 that would be …

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States Still Not Recovered Jobs Lost In Recession

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A researcher published some data showing how the individual states are doing recovering jobs lost during the recession. The highlight is that 15 states have not recovered all of the jobs lost during the recession. The interesting part is what that might mean. (Note: this is from total nonfarm employment and counts both part-time and full-time jobs) The 15 states that still haven’t recovered all the jobs lost during the recession are: Alabama Arizona Connecticut Illinois Maine Mississippi Missouri Nevada New Jersey New Mexico Ohio Rhode Island West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming If your life is all about politics, I’m sure you’re rushing to count Democrats and Republicans as a way to “prove” that your side is the best side. Sorry, but that shows little understanding of economics. But, if you insist, there are more Republican governors than Democrat governors on the list. Of course, to be fair, a lot of those states are the so-called purple ones. A more realistic analysis shows some obvious ones. Nevada and Arizona were the poster children of over-heated housing markets that collapsed, so it’s natural, they are one the list. On the other hand, Florida was hit pretty hard by the housing bubble but is not …

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Do Young People Invest in the Stock Market?

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Do Millenials Have Money To Invest? A recent Bankrate survey shows that just 26 percent of Millenials say they own any stock. That sounds about right to me. As a former financial advisor, I never conducted any official, statistically valid surveys, of course, but I did talk to a lot of people, many of them younger. Younger people, like Millenials, almost never became my clients. The feeling was mutual. You see, most younger people don’t HAVE any money, even if they are currently making it. If you graduate from college at say 22, and you get a job paying $75,000 per year, then you are doing pretty well. But, you may have student loans; you probably would like to buy a house; you might be getting married and saving for a wedding. Of course, you might also be enjoying your freedom and taking trips, buying cars, and so on. The thing is, even if you were saving 10 percent of your income that still means you only have $7,500 of investable assets after a year. $15,000 the next, and so on and so on. By the time you had even the minimum of $100,000 that makes it worth even a …

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