Unrest in Hong Kong and limitations of monetary policy have no easy solutions.
U.S. consumer confidence is high, but confidence in China’s economic measurements is not.
What shifts from tariffs to currency mean in the US-China trade war.
The Northern Trust Economics team shares its outlook for U.S. economic growth, inflation, unemployment and interest rates.
Change can threaten, but it can create opportunity if we adapt.
The Northern Trust Economics team shares its growth outlook for the U.S., U.K., Eurozone, Japan and China.
This week the economics team discusses: Surveying fiscal conditions as the FOMC prepares to meet; Japan gets aggressive in trade with South Korea; and One less fiscal worry for the U.S.
Demand for cars is both slowing and shifting. How will automakers adapt?
The decade of the 1990s in India was an era of rapid change. The sudden rise of new choices and shifts in consumer preferences was stunning, in hindsight.
Talks are back on, but success is far from assured.
A change to global uncertainty will require a concrete settlement of key issues . While downside risks to the global outlook have not increased, they haven’t declined, either.
Trade tensions are felt around the world. Cautious central banks and flat yields don't stop a rally in equities. And more observations from a busy half year.
The march of demographics may be slow, but it is sure. And while the consequences of aging may seem far off into the future, they will be substantial. Unless we address them now, they will become much less manageable later.
How much longer can the Fed stay patient? We see a change coming.
China and Mexico thought they made progress toward U.S. trade deals. No longer.
The sudden escalation of trade tensions that have originated from Washington is casting doubt over the outlook. If the escalation continues, the global economy will continue to decelerate and recession risks will rise.
Europeans went to the polls, and the results reveal continental divisions. U.S. businesses’ patience for tariffs won’t last. And what do tariffs do to prices?
Productivity growth is vital to the economy and for our well-being. We take a look at recent and long-run trends, marvel at the progress of artificial intelligence, and explore diverging growth among nations.
What’s next for trade talks with China and the U.S.?, Emerging markets face the middle-income trap, CECL provides more insurance for the financial system.
Many factors are holding down inflation, U.S. jobs growth continues to surprise and China’s bad loans are getting worse.
Rumors of a contraction to start the year were overblown. Since March, a string of positive economic headlines have helped soothe investor sentiment and maintain economic momentum. We are still in a growth cycle with room to run.
Wie Gehts mit Deutschland?; Jump-Starting U.S. Startups; Big Data Is Changing Inflation
The economic slowdown that began in late 2018 has started to stabilize. Trade tensions and policy uncertainty took a toll on confidence and financial markets late last year, but both seem less threatening today. Financial conditions have eased as major central banks maintain a fairly accommodative stance amid a subdued inflation outlook.
We expect the USMCA to be ratified eventually. But it could take longer than anticipated, and the political environment across North America creates substantial uncertainty.
Today’s government finances add to tomorrow’s problems; The strong U.S. dollar is a mixed blessing; Prisons are expensive for both taxpayers and inmates
The proposed nominations of Stephen Moore and Herman Cain to the board of governors threaten to compromise the Fed’s strong character. Both have been major fundraisers for the president, and both have pledged to use their posts on the Board to support the White House program. They seem intent on bringing a political agenda into a forum that tries to operate without one.
Despite its name, MMT is not modern. It is the latest iteration of the idea of monetizing the debt, relying on a central bank to create demand for a country’s bonds. The Bank of Japan routinely buys all Japanese government bonds on the open market, keeping borrowing costs near zero despite a massive government debt. Japan has not imploded under this debt burden, but it has stagnated. Government intervention reduced a crisis, but did not unlock growth.
Northern Trust’s Economic Research team shares its monthly perspective on the growth prospects and challenges ahead for the U.S., U.K., Eurozone, China, and Japan.
The Expansion’s Endgame?; Latin America: Caught In The Middle; What The Yield Curve Is (And Isn’t) Telling Us
Brexit May-hem; Is the Dot Plot Shot?; Getting Kids to Finish College
A New Normal For The Fed Balance Sheet; How Tariffs Work…and Don't Work; The ECB Goes Back To The TLTRO Well
The Northern Trust Economics team shares our view on growth, inflation, unemployment, and interest rates.
I was born too early to benefit much from Sesame Street, but I still loved The Muppets. Kermit the Frog was my favorite character; alternatively in full control and overwhelmed, Kermit struggled to make sense of the nonsensical. To this day, there are times that I feel confronted with the same challenge.
The U.S. economy has shifted into a lower gear, growth has been falling in the Eurozone, Brexit is festering and China is feeling the heat from internal imbalances and an elevated trade spat with the U.S.
Amazon HQ2 shows the limits of local economic development incentives; China and the U.S. break through a wall in negotiations; and The Fed ponders new approaches to inflation targeting
GSE reform is in sight, China’s stimulus falls short, and bank mergers are back.
The Economics team explores a smooth economic slowdown, elevated consumer confidence, and troubles in Italy.
The U.S. economy is finding its rhythm after an uncertain start to the year.
As we enter tax season, we explore the collection and use of individual income taxes.
Central banks face a difficult year. Eurozone economies are slowing. And the U.S. government shutdown can’t be ignored.
Weakness in the Chinese economy is becoming clearer, while the way forward for Brexit is anything but clear. And what exactly does "tighter financial conditions" mean?
Markets struggle to price new risks, and the U.S. government shutdown grows in severity.
The U.S. economy will overcome risks and continue to grow in 2019.
Major economies are positioned to keep growing in the year ahead, but risks are mounting.
Six themes emerge as we look back on a busy year of economic news.
Several years into the recovery from the global economic crisis, the jobs of central banks have only become more difficult. How are indebtedness, inequality, inflation and instability contributing to their problems, and what can we expect from future interest rate decisions?
