The Chairman (over the two days) was surprisingly hawkish, and we should be ready for rate hikes as soon as the data justify them, |
The Chairman (over the two days) was surprisingly hawkish, and we should be ready for rate hikes as soon as the data justify them. |
The core consumer price index (CPI) has risen by 3.3 percent annualized over the past three months, ... We'd all better hope that some of this is 'transitory.' |
The Fed may need to prove its inflation-fighting credentials because expectations could be shifting a bit. The case for continued rate hikes has become, if anything, more compelling since Katrina, |
The gain was smaller than we had expected, and much of it came in utility usage, reflecting the extremely cold weather in the period. |
There have been a number of strong offsetting influences on consumer moods so far this month. Obviously, the two biggest negatives are the shaky jobs situation and rising gasoline and energy prices, |
There were no bombshells |
This kind of situation calls on each one of us to reach out in any way we can. All of us at Bladen Builders, like people all over the world, wanted to contribute in some manner. When our distributor, Do it Best Corporation, notified us of the collaborative effort, our feelings quickly turned into a desire to act. |
This raises the odds that manufacturing payrolls may finally break through on Friday and register a gain. |
To the extent that the Fed has emphasized how important benign inflation expectations are in maintaining price stability, ... the June results are disturbing. |
We continue to believe that the Fed will keep tightening into 2006 and take the funds rate above 5 pct next year. |
While concerns about the impact of rising interest rates will be a frequent theme of discussion in the press and financial markets, homebuilders and realtors are confident that favorable demographics and an improved economy/job market should help, at least for a while, to compensate for the dampening effect of the upturn in borrowing costs on housing demand, |
While concerns about the impact of rising interest rates will be a frequent theme of discussion in the press and financial markets, homebuilders and realtors are confident that favorable demographics and an improved economy/job market should help, at least for a while, to compensate for the dampening effect of the upturn in borrowing costs on housing demand. |
While many will be disappointed that we will not necessarily see huge upward revisions to payrolls ... a significant upward revision to wages would also be a positive development, as it suggests that consumers have more firepower than we thought. |
Without a doubt, the decline mainly reflects the run-up in gasoline prices. |