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☆ Save, don't spend, warns Intuit's CEO, as he notices 'good behavior' around money habits eroding
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

That's partially due to inflation woes, but spending on travel and recreation still remains high. That's largely due to an unprecedented boon in cash from stimulus checks and other pandemic aid along with reduced spending amid the pandemic. Inflation has been eating into Americans' wallets for the last two years, but it's not the only reason savings are falling. Spending has remained strong overall, especially for in-person services that were especially constrained during the worst of the pandemic, said Goodarzi. Credit bureau Experian defines a score of 580 to 669 as "fair," and most Americans fall somewhere between 600 and 750.

☆ Consumer confidence improves in December, a hopeful sign for the economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —American consumers’ confidence in the US economy grew in December as high inflation continued to ease, according to data released Wednesday by the Conference Board. The business think tank’s latest consumer confidence index registered 108.3 this month, a significant jump from the upwardly revised measure of 101.4 in November. Economists were expecting the index to come in at 101, according to consensus estimates on Refinitiv. Consumer confidence, as measured by this and other surveys like the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, has mostly been on a downward trajectory for much of 2022 as the country grappled with the highest rates of inflation seen in four decades. During 2019, the headline consumer confidence index had an average reading of 128.5.

☆ Higher mortgage rates depress U.S. single-family housing starts, building permits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary Housing starts fall 0.5% in NovemberSingle-family starts drop 4.1%; multi-family up 4.8%Building permits plunge 11.2%; single-family fall 7.1%WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. single-family homebuilding tumbled to a 2-1/2-year low in November and permits for future construction plunged as higher mortgage rates continued to depress housing market activity. We don't know about the rest of the economy, but the housing market is clearly in recession." Single-family housing starts, which account for the biggest share of homebuilding, dropped 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 828,000 units last month. The jump in multi-family housing projects offset some of the drag from single-family housing units, resulting in overall housing starts falling only 0.5% to a rate of 1.427 million units last month. The single-family housing market boomed early in the pandemic as Americans sought bigger properties to accommodate home offices.

☆ U.S. single-family housing starts, building permits plunge in November
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Summary Housing starts fall 0.5% in NovemberSingle-family starts drop 4.1%; multi-family up 4.8%Building permits plunge 11.2%; single-family fall 7.1%WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. single-family homebuilding tumbled to a 2-1/2 year low in November and permits for future construction plunged as higher mortgage rates continued to depress housing market activity. The housing market has borne the brunt of the Federal Reserve's fastest interest rate-hiking cycle since the 1980s as the U.S. central bank wages war against inflation. We don't know about the rest of the economy, but the housing market is clearly in recession." Single-family housing starts, which account for the biggest share of homebuilding, dropped 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 828,000 units last month. The jump in multi-family housing projects offset some of the drag from single-family housing units, resulting in overall housing starts falling only 0.5% to a rate of 1.427 million units last month.

☆ U.S. import prices drop further; inflation pressures easing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast import prices, which exclude tariffs, would fall 0.5%. In the 12 months through November, import prices increased 2.7%, the smallest gain since January 2021, after rising 4.1% in October. Excluding fuel and food, import prices fell 0.6%. Core import prices are being depressed by the dollar's strength against the currencies of the United States' main trade partners. The report from the Labor Department also showed export prices fell 0.3% in November after declining 0.4% in October.

☆ Premarket stocks: Consumers are keeping the economy afloat... for now
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What’s happening: Americans appear to be indulging in a healthy dose of retail therapy despite stubbornly high inflation and the possibility of a recession ahead. Consumer spending is a major driver of the economy, and the last two months of the year can account for about 20% of total retail sales — even more for some retailers, according to NRF. But when the Federal Reserve is actively trying to squash high inflation rates, they risk becoming a fly in the ointment. “Consumers’ spending is more or less unfazed not only by high inflation, but also the rate hikes intended to get prices under control,” economists at Wells Fargo wrote. The high rate of spending could agitate investors in this good-news-is-bad-news economy because it adds to inflationary pressures.

☆ U.S. consumer confidence at four-month low; house price growth slows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The labor market has remained resilient despite the Federal Reserve's stiff interest rate increases, helping to keep consumer spending and the overall economy afloat. "That tectonic shift in consumer confidence from inflation worries to job concerns is coming though." The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 100.2, the lowest reading since July, from 102.2 in October. Though house prices have came off the record highs reached during the COVID-19 pandemic-driven housing market boom, they remain significantly high. A third report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency showed house prices increased 11.0% in the 12 months through September after advancing 12.0% in August.

☆ US consumer confidence falls to lowest level since July
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Minneapolis CNN Business —US consumer confidence fell in November as inflation and economic uncertainty continued to loom large and potentially dampen holiday shopping plans. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index measured 100.2 for the month, lower than the downwardly revised 102.2 in October. The index is at its lowest level since July, when it fell to 95.7 amid spiking gas prices and worsening inflation. “If we had a combination of higher prices and higher unemployment at the same time, I think we’d be seeing a very different consumer than what we see right now,” he said. While consumer confidence has fallen, it still remains relatively resilient; but it is unlikely to last, said Chris Rupkey, chief economist of FwdBonds LLC, in a note on Tuesday.

☆ Everyone from the vet to the barber is hiking prices. And there’s no relief in sight
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

And that’s exactly where inflation can get “sticky,” meaning once prices for services rise they tend to remain at those levels for some time. “When you have strong price pressures in the services sector, they’re likely to last longer,” Nicaj said. That’s the risk that you also take as a business raising prices, because you may lose clients.”To Ryczko, it’s a strategic balancing act. Courtesy Genora Boykins and Sharon Owens“I don’t know of any goods that we are utilizing that haven’t increased in cost,” Boykins said. “Even if it doesn’t necessarily turn around, at least you don’t want [prices] to continue to escalate month after month after month.”

☆ U.S. job growth beats expectations in October, but cracks emerging
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The report to us looks like payroll jobs growth will falter in coming months as companies batten down the hatches as the Fed continues to take away the economy's punch." The survey of establishments showed nonfarm payrolls increased 261,000 last month. Still, the labor market remains tight, with 1.9 job openings per unemployed person at the end of September. The increase in the unemployment rate from 3.5% September reflected a 328,000 decline in household employment. "The hope is that the labor market is merely returning to a more normal pace, rather than sitting dead in the water."

☆ Americans are spending record amounts at casinos and airlines — but recent warnings from Amazon and Apple suggest the party may soon be over
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Despite inflation, Americans are still shelling out at casinos, airlines, and restaurants. In October, both American and Southwest Airlines reported record operating revenues for their respective companies in the third quarter. Following "record summer leisure travel demand," consumers continued to hit the skies in September, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said. A Deloitte survey of nearly 5,000 Americans found that Americans plan to buy 44% fewer gifts — an average of nine versus 16 last year. "Spending should slow down significantly with the holiday hangover and as savings continue to dwindle," RSM economist Tuan Nguyen told USA Today.

☆ Here’s why 75% of likely voters think we are in a recession — even though we’re probably not
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN Business —A new CNN poll shows that three-quarters of likely voters feel like the US economy is in a recession. The technical definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of economic contraction, which the US economy recorded in the first half of the year. Still, the economy feels bad to the majority of Americans ahead of next week’s midterms. But that’s still the highest since the early 1980s, and it’s the first time many younger people have ever experienced inflation. But that dip may not be enough to buy Democrats any goodwill among voters, given the elevated costs of every other necessity.

☆ U.S. job openings jump in September; raw material prices fall in October
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With roughly 1.9 job openings for every unemployed worker at the end of September, wage growth could remain elevated. "It is a head scratcher where you have to wonder whether 10 million job openings can stop a recession from coming." Job openings, a measure of labor demand, increased 437,000 to 10.7 million on the last day of September, the Labor Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report. Data for August was revised higher to show 10.3 million job openings instead of 10.1 million as previously reported. The job openings rate increased to 6.5% from 6.3% in August.

☆ Inflation: Is the Fed losing the war?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“This inflation report today was an unmitigated disaster,” wrote Christopher S. Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds, a financial markets research company. Is the Fed losing the fight against inflation? But the effects of rate hikes can take months to be felt in the real economy. But the Fed is “losing the war” when it comes to price hikes for the services sector. Ultimately, some say the problem of pandemic-era inflation is just too complex to be fixed with the Fed’s blunt tools.

☆ The Fed is losing the war against inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

☆ U.S. core capital goods orders accelerate in August; shipments rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Mike BlakeSummarySummary Companies Core capital goods orders increase 1.3% in AugustCore capital goods shipments rise 0.3%Durable goods orders fall 0.2% on transportation dragWASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - New orders for U.S.-manufactured capital goods increased more than expected in August, suggesting that businesses remained keen to spend on equipment despite higher interest rates, which could keep the economy on a moderate growth path. Data for July was revised higher to show these so-called core capital goods orders gaining 0.7% instead of 0.3% as previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods orders rising 0.2%. Core capital goods shipments rose 0.3% after climbing 0.6% in July. Core capital goods shipments are used to calculate equipment spending in the gross domestic product measurement.

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