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☆ What a Trump 2.0 Economy Would Look Like
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Tim Smart | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +10 min

Overall, the Biden economic plan draws less than favorable reviews from voters. So, too, are promises of more tax cuts and a sharp curtailment of immigration. Trump was upset in 2019 that Powell was not doing enough to lower interest rates and stimulate the economy. The Trump tax cuts are set to expire in 2025, giving a second Trump administration the opportunity to fight that battle again. “A Trump 2.0 presidency would inherit very large fiscal deficits from the Biden Administration, rising interest expenses and an economy probably more prone to bouts of inflation,” the report said.

Persons: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, There’s, ” Trump, it’s, ”, Patrick Horan, “, Tony Soprano, Patrick Kilbane, ” Kilbane, “ Trump, ” George Calhoun, Calhoun, ” Matt Gertken, Alex Nowrasteh, ” Michael Clemens, Clemens, Jerome Powell, Powell, Xi Jinping, Maria Bartiromo, reappoint Powell, Steve Mnuchin, ” Maxime Darmet, Darmet, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Manila ”, Trump, CNBC, Monday, White, George Mason University, Ullmann Wealth Partners, Republican Party, Senate, Affordable, Quantitative, Stevens Institute of Technology, TikTok, Democratic, BCA Research, Labor, CATO Institute, Peterson Institute for International, University of Colorado, Federal Reserve, Federal, Biden, Fox Business, Trump Cabinet, House, Allianz Research, Biden Administration, U.S, Allianz Trade, Congress, GOP Locations: Manila, COVID, China, U.S, America, France

Rising gasoline and housing prices led inflation to increase 0.4% in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday. The food index was unchanged in February, as was the food at home index. Meanwhile, a recent report on consumer spending from Mastercard found that retail sales excluding autos were up in February, with online retail sales up more than 9.1%. The Census Bureau is scheduled to release retail sales for February on Thursday with analysts looking for a strong 0.8% increase after January's drop. “A dip in retail sales to start the calendar year is common, however, this year January retail sales marked the biggest decline since March of last year,” said Chip West, retail and consumer behavior expert at Vericast.

Persons: ” Joseph Brusuelas, ”, Chip Organizations: of Labor Statistics, Federal, “ Services, RSM, Mastercard, Apparel, Bureau, Federal Reserve Bank of, Blue Locations: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stuck to his script that it is not yet time to begin cutting interest rates on Wednesday in the first of two appearances this week on Capitol Hill. The Fed has taken interest levels to their highest in decades in a battle to bring inflation down to the central bank’s 2% annual target. “The labor market remains relatively tight, but supply and demand conditions have continued to come into better balance,” Powell said. Job vacancies have declined, and nominal wage growth has been easing.”Powell and other Fed officials have repeatedly said they will judge whether to begin lowering interest rates on the state of incoming economic data. In his testimony, Powell did acknowledge that interest rates are “likely” at their peak for this economic cycle.

Persons: Jerome Powell, ” Powell, Powell, ”, Lydia Boussour, EY Organizations: Capitol, Financial Services, Labor Department, ADP, Federal Reserve Bank, Atlanta’s

Consumers remained largely sanguine about the economy and inflation in February, according to the latest sentiment survey from the University of Michigan released Friday. The February index rose 0.6 points to 79.6 after posting strong gains in the prior two months. The index of consumer expectations, a forecast of how Americans see the economy in the coming months, is now up 21.6% from a year ago. Expectations for inflation did tick up slightly, with the 12-month level now at 3%, up from 2.9% in January. “The upside surprise in the January PPI report echoes the month’s CPI report,” said Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank.

Persons: ”, Joanne Hsu, “ Consumers, Hsu, Jerome Powell’s, Ken Tjonasam, Powell, Bill Adams Organizations: University of Michigan, “, PPI, Global, CPI, Comerica Bank, “ Labor

Wholesale prices spiked in January, rising 0.3% and above expectations in yet another sign that maybe inflation is proving harder to put to rest than the markets and the Federal Reserve had hoped. Economists had expected a 0.1% monthly increase in both the overall producer price index – a measure of prices paid by businesses – and the core, which leaves out often volatile energy and food costs. Increases in shelter costs accounted for more than two-thirds of the increase in the main index, although food prices also increased while energy costs fell. Investors had bought into the notion of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in May, but that was called into question by the stronger-than-expected news on inflation. “When will the recession start?” asks Peter Berezin, chief global strategist at BCA Research in a report out Friday morning.

Persons: ”, Clark Bellin, John Ingram, Chris Giamo, Giamo, “, Peter Berezin Organizations: Federal Reserve, Labor Department, PPI, CPI, Dow Jones, Investors, ”, Crestwood Advisors, “, TD Bank, BCA Research Locations: U.S

The housing market began 2024 in the doldrums as housing starts and permits for new construction both fell, the Census Bureau reported on Friday. Starts fell 14.8%, way more than the flat reading expected by economists. “High mortgage rates, with maybe a dash of cold weather, caused starts and permits to fall from December. The optimism is a turnaround from August 2023, when 80% of small businesses surveyed said their long-term financial confidence was being negatively affected by the economy. Some 50% of small business owners said they were planning to expand in 2024.

Persons: didn’t, ”, Robert Frick, Lisa Sturtevant, Ksenia Potapov, “, they’re, Bill Dunkelberg Organizations: Census, Navy Federal Credit Union, MLS, “, National Federation of Independent Business, American Express Locations: American

Retail sales fell by 0.8% last month, far worse than expected, as consumers pulled back from their holiday spending and amid rising inflation and higher credit costs, the Census Bureau reported on Thursday. While overall retail trade sales declined, nonstore retailers were up 6.4 percent from last year. And consumers continued to spend on eating out, with food services and drinking places up 6.3% from a year ago. In January, retail sales rose by 2.34% from a year ago, according to the NRF/CNBC Retail Monitor powered by credit card tracking firm Affinity Solutions, but sales were down by 0.16% from December’s strong performance. “Notably, consumers are feeling strained by higher prices at the grocery store and beyond,” Patel said.

Persons: Jeffrey Roach, ”, Jonathan Silver, Piyush Patel, “, ” Patel, – Organizations: Census, Federal, LPL, CNBC Retail Monitor, Affinity Solutions, Affinity, Federal Reserve Bank of New Locations: Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Still, that is considerably below where inflation was in 2022 and much of last year. Along with the health of the labor market, the Fed considers inflation among the key economic data points to watch as it looks to start cutting interest rates this year. “If inflation comes in below expectation, the markets will cheer the welcome news that the economy and the job market can remain solid without increasing inflation. On Friday, more inflation data will be released with the January producer price index – a measure of what businesses pay for the products and services they sell. The PPI is often a predictor of future inflation as it shows prices that are early in the pipeline and often passed on to consumers.

Persons: ”, Skyler Weinand, Regan, Venkat Balakrishnan, Jerome Powell, “, Dan North, “ Powell, Melissa Brown, Signifyd, ” Signifyd Organizations: Labor, Federal Reserve, Dow, Industrial, Regan Capital, Fed, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Allianz Trade, ”, PPI Locations: North America

The most common measure of inflation, the CPI is expected to have fallen to 2.9% annually from 3.4% while the core CPI, excluding food and energy costs, is forecast to have declined to a 3.7% rate from 3.9% in December. Year-end revisions to 2023 CPI data, released last Friday, showed inflation was actually slightly lower on a monthly basis in December than earlier estimated. “But ‘generally’ doesn’t necessarily mean linear or consistent – there could very well be bumps ahead.”“Core inflation today is being primarily driven by shelter and wage-sensitive core services,” Lin added. Headier growth could mean prices will take longer to revert back to the 2% annual inflation target set by the Federal Reserve. The day also brings the first reading on consumer sentiment for February from the University of Michigan’s key index.

Persons: ”, BeiChen Lin, ” Lin, Jerome Powell, David Andolfatto, Louis, “, Bill Adams, Waran Organizations: Russell Investments, Economic, Federal Reserve Bank, Atlanta’s, Federal Reserve, Research, Miami Herbert Business School, University of Miami, Federal Reserve Bank of St, University of, Comerica Bank, “ Locations: U.S

And while the economy usually comes out on top as the issue for most voters, there are doubts over whether even a good economy is enough for Joe Biden to win a second term. Certainly, the improving economy – and most importantly an inflation rate that is trending back to the Federal Reserve’s desired 2% annual target – should be an asset for Biden. “Obviously perceptions of Biden and Trump are largely baked in and have been for a long time” says Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. “We’re playing at the margins at best.”For Democrats, running on a good economy will present its own challenges. The wing nuts have disproportionate power.”Ramamurti still believes that Biden should emphasize the economy, saying, “I’m of the view that good news is good news.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Jose Torres, ” Powell, “, Biden, Al Capone, Alejandro Mayorkas, Bharat Ramamurti, Trump, Lee Miringoff, David Walker, Walker, “ There’s, ” Ramamurti, Ramamurti, Gregory Daco, Pollsters, Mark Zandi Organizations: Federal, Biden, Fed, Interactive, Republicans, Democrats, CBS, Trump, GOP, Homeland, National Economic Council, Marist, ”, Marist Institute, Public, Biden Administration, Republican, Democratic Party, Democrat, Dow Jones, Moody's Locations: Pennsylvania

Credit expanded by just 0.4% in the month, according to the Federal Reserve’s monthly credit report released Wednesday. And it still leaves consumers with record levels of credit card debt. Of that, credit card balances grew by $212 billion to $1.13 trillion, while mortgage balances rose by $112 billion to $12.25 trillion. “Credit card and auto loan transitions into delinquency are still rising above pre-pandemic levels,” said Wilbert van der Klaauw, economic research advisor at the New York Fed. Average card balances rose by 10% from a year ago to $6,360, a record.

Persons: ”, Wilbert van der, TransUnion, Michele Raneri, Scott Haymore, “ Deleveraging, Wells Fargo Organizations: Federal, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Auto, New York Fed, millennials, TransUnion, TD Bank Locations: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Wells Fargo

Where does the economy go from here? Consumers are feeling better, expecting that the economy will do well and inflation will subside in the coming 12 months. While the economy ended last year on a strong note, the expectation was that it would cool down as the calendar turned to 2024. Last week, the International Monetary Fund boosted its projection for global growth to 3.1% from its October estimate of 2.9%, citing “greater-than-expected resilience” in the U.S. economy. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow forecast has the U.S economy growing at a 4.2% clip in the first quarter.

Persons: ”, Jerome Powell, Powell, ” Powell, Lightcast, Rachel Sederberg, “, That’s Organizations: Federal, Labor Department, ” Comerica Bank, Fed, CBS, International Monetary Fund, Federal Reserve Bank, Atlanta’s, Santander Bank, ” Locations: U.S, ” Santander

Consumers are happy, the stock market is near record highs, inflation is moderating and the labor market is defying all forecasts. Apparently, very little as the latest reading on consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan confirmed on Friday. The final consumer sentiment survey for January posted a 13% increase to 79, almost a 10-point surge from December’s 69.7 reading, echoing earlier estimates. “This morning’s strong jobs report diminished the chances of the Fed cutting in March,” said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial. This means businesses are in a good position despite the macro headwinds and uncertainty about growth expectations.”

Persons: “, ”, Joanne Hsu, ” Hsu, –, David Royal, Jeffrey Roach Organizations: University of Michigan, Federal Reserve, Labor Department, Federal Reserve Bank, Atlanta’s, LPL

The year opened with a bang as employers added 353,000 jobs in January, far exceeding the most optimistic of forecasts. Revisions also raised the November job number to 182,000 and also added 117,000 more jobs to December. “The labor market is certainly cooling,” Brent Schutte, chief investment officer at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, said ahead of the report. “I think the labor market by many measures is at or nearing normal, but not totally back to normal,” Powell told reporters. But it is hard to contain the enthusiasm that a strong jobs report along with moderating inflation is good for most Americans.

Persons: “, ”, Becky Frankiewicz, isn’t, ” “ We’re, December’s downwardly, ” Brent Schutte, seasonality, Amy Glaser, Glaser, Chris Todd, ” Todd, Jerome Powell, ” Powell, “ It’s, Julia Pollak, ” Schutte Organizations: ADP, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, Adecco, BLS, Federal Reserve, Federal

The firm’s monthly survey showed 107,000 jobs were added, well below the 145,000 estimate. “Progress on inflation has brightened the economic picture despite a slowdown in hiring and pay,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. The ADP report comes two days ahead of the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report for January, with consensus estimates for about a 180,000 gain in payrolls after December’s better-than-expected 216,000 increase. “The January jobs report will likely show that the labor market started the year on a solid note,” said Lydia Boussour, EY senior economist. The strong job market and U.S. economic growth in the fourth quarter led the International Monetary Fund to boost its projections of global economic growth this year.

Persons: ”, Nela Richardson, December’s, Lydia Boussour, EY, “, Jerome Powell, José Torres Organizations: ADP, Labor, Federal Reserve, Observers, Interactive, International Monetary Fund, IMF Locations: U.S, payrolls, hawkish, –

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday did what everyone expected, holding interest rates steady for now. But it also avoided saying anything about what it plans to do with rates in the future, dashing hopes for now that rate cuts are in the offing soon. “The Committee judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are moving into better balance,” the statement read. Over 12 months, the core rate has come down to 2.9%, he pointed out, adding, “We’re wanting to see more data. “However, they do need to be careful about holding rates up too far, too long.”Economists are predicting a slowdown this year.

Persons: Jerome Powell, ” Powell, “ We’re, You’ve, Powell, ”, Greg Friedman, Brian Henderson, “ There’s, Charlie Wise, Wise Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, ”, Dow Jones, Peachtree Group, BOK, “ Locations: American

Global inflation is expected to fall to 5.8% in 2024 and to 4.4% in 2025. “The global economy begins the final descent toward a soft landing, with inflation declining steadily and growth holding up. That is not to say the global economy is without challenges. It also raises concerns about a revival of global inflation pressures as importers face surging shipping costs,” said Lydia Boussour, senior economist at EY-Parthenon. “For now, we don’t expect the situation in the Red Sea to substantially alter the outlook for global inflation and global monetary policy this year,” she added.

Persons: ” Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, ”, Lydia Boussour, Gourinchas, ” Gourinchas, Eric LeCompte, LeCompte Organizations: Monetary Fund, IMF, Federal Reserve, . News, USA Locations: U.S, China, –, Ukraine, Iranian, Suez, EY, India, Russia, East, Central Asia, Saudi Arabia, “, Brazil

Home prices declined slightly in November while posting yearly gains, suggesting the housing sector has cooled somewhat heading into 2024. The house price decline came at a time where mortgage rates peaked, with the average Freddie Mac 30-year fixed rate mortgage nearing 8%, according to Federal Reserve data. But as more inventory comes on the market and mortgage rates remain elevated, sale prices may be beginning to wilt. That has led some analysts to say that the market could bounce back as the traditional spring buying season begins. The index tracks a three-month period when mortgage rates were zig-zagging and ended on a down note, said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com.

Persons: ”, Brian Luke, San Francisco, Cleveland –, Luke, “, Freddie Mac, Selma Hepp, Danielle Hale Organizations: Dow Jones, Seattle, Cleveland, Midwest, Federal Reserve Locations: “, San, Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte , New York

The business group’s consumer confidence index rose to 114.8 from a revised 108 in December. The present situation Index – a measure of current business and labor market conditions – surged to 161.3 from 147.2 last month. And it comes as the Federal Reserve is meeting in Washington to set interest rate policy, with economists forecasting the central bank will hold interest rates steady. But, he adds, “The Fed’s not going to change” at its first meeting of 2024 that began on Tuesday and do anything other than hold interest rates steady for the fourth meeting in a row. The index often leads other consumer sentiment surveys by two to three months, says Legal Shield CEO Warren Schlichting.

Persons: ”, Dana Peterson, Stephen Rich, Melissa Brown, Jerome Powell, Gene Goldman, Warren Schlichting, Schlichting, it’s Organizations: Conference, Mutual of America Capital Management, Federal Reserve, Investment Management, “, Labor Department, ADP Locations: U.S, Washington

Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Meta, Amazon and Apple are all due to report this week. A few hours after the Treasury announces, the Fed will also conclude its two-day meeting, the first of 2024, and issue a statement on interest rates. “They are determined to avoid making the same mistake twice.”The week ends with Friday’s monthly jobs number for January. Rounding out the week will be a report on consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan. The final reading for January is expected to show consumers feeling happier about the state of the economy and inflation.

Persons: ”, Richard de Chazal, William Blair, Jerome Powell, “, Powell, Bill Adams, ” Adams Organizations: Microsoft, Federal Reserve, Conference Board, Consumers, Labor Department, Treasury, Reserve, Comerica Bank, Fed, University of Michigan

The overall personal consumption expenditures price index rose 2% for the month, as did the core index that omits food and energy costs. On an annual basis, the overall index remained unchanged at 2.6% while the core fell to 2.9% from 3.2% in November. The rise in the core index was the slowest since the spring of 2021. The core index is often cited by Fed officials as their barometer for inflation. “The meeting statement is likely to drop the hawkish bias from its forward guidance, but stop short of signaling rate cuts.

Persons: ”, Robert Frick, “, Lydia Boussour, Jerome Powell, Jeremy Schwartz, Ruchir Sharma Organizations: Federal, Economic, Fed, Navy Federal Credit Union, Federal Reserve, Reserve, Nomura Securities, Nomura, Aichi Amemiya

Today, remote work has declined from its levels of the pandemic but is still – depending on how broadly one measures it – three to four times as prevalent as it was in 2019. And remote work tends to be dominated by higher-educated employees, with nearly 40% of those holding advanced degrees hybrid or fully remote. In early January, LinkedIn’s Global State of Remote and Hybrid Work study found that at its peak, in April of 2022, the share of job postings that offered remote work reached 20.3%. The more enduring feature of remote work is now hybrid.”There are also substantial differences within industry and among countries. “You’re moving to where the housing is cheaper.”Not that it is all rosy when it comes to remote work.

Persons: ”, Kory Kantenga, Sandra Moran, Julia Pollak, Nick Bunker, Layla O’Kane, Lightcast, Morris Davis, Andra Ghent, Jesse Gregory, ” Goldman Sachs, Boyer, Brad Case, “ That’s, Software’s Moran Organizations: LinkedIn, Workforce Software, LinkedIn’s Global, Labor Statistics, North, “, Oxford University Press, Economic Studies, Rutgers University, Andra, University of Utah, University of Wisconsin, Ivory, Google, NASA, Middleburg Communities, Green Mountain Locations: U.S, Israel, Ghent, Real Estate, Santa Ana , California, LLC.org . New York, Huntsville , Alabama, Huntsville, Glendale , Arizona, Phoenix, Arlington , Texas, Dallas, Middleburg, San Francisco, New York, Charlotte, Raleigh , North Carolina, Orlando, Jacksonville , Florida, Houston, San Antonio , Texas, Florida, Texas, Vermont, Green Mountain State, California

The U.S. economy ended 2023 with a bang, as growth in gross domestic product in the fourth quarter came in at 3.3%, easily dashing expectations on strong consumer spending and exports. Economists had predicted a gain of 2% for the quarter following the third quarter’s 4.9% increase, driven by strong consumer spending, rebuilding of inventories and a resilient labor market. Although 2023 outperformed, defying predictions of a recession even as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to a level not seen in four decades, most economists are forecasting growth slowing this year. The strong fourth quarter number is likely to cast doubt on whether the Fed will begin cutting interest rates as early as the market thinks. “Consumers will likely remain cautious with their spending as they confront ‘cost fatigue’ and less vibrant labor market conditions.

Persons: ”, Steve Rick, Gregory Daco, Daco, Jerome Powell, “, ” Daco Organizations: Federal Reserve, TruStage, “, Fed, Labor Department Locations: U.S, Ukraine

A forward-looking gauge of economic activity continued to soften in December, though the overall rate of decline improved in the last six months of 2023. The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index fell by 0.1% in December, below expectations, yet contracted by 2.9% over the past six months, down from 4.3% for the prior six-month period. “Despite the overall decline, six out of 10 leading indicators made positive contributions to the LEI in December. Moreover, other recent economic data – consumer sentiment, retail sales and jobless claims – has been positive and consistent with an expanding economy. The Fed indicated then that members of its monetary policy committee favored at least three cuts in rates this year.

Persons: LEI, Justyna, “, ”, –, Shaan Raithatha Organizations: The Conference, Congress, Federal, Commerce Department, Vanguard, Fed Locations: U.S, Wells Fargo

Now, as a new week unfolds, the debate is shifting to how strong the economy performed at year-end and whether 2024 will also bring good tidings. Recent inflation data has shown prices are trending back toward the central bank’s target of 2% annual inflation. The Fed will have its first meeting of 2024 late this month after holding interest rates steady at its December meeting. A stronger economy or a hotter-than-expected reading on inflation might push the first cut into the second half of the year. Another important piece of the economic puzzle will be the leading economic index from The Conference Board, due out Monday.

Persons: ” Christopher Rupkey, “, Wells Fargo Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, Conference Board Locations: COVID

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