Category Archives: Macro Economics

Soft Landing, What’s Next?

Posted on February 6, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The US economy has landed with the huge Q4 GDP growth spurt of 3.3 percent, and 335,000 nonfarm payroll jobs created, and inflation close to the Fed’s 2% target rate. What happens next? It looks like it’s … Continue reading →

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US Economy Has Landed–Part II

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly I said last week there’s no longer any doubt the US economy has made a soft landing because the economy grew 3.3 percent in Q4 2023 and 3.1 percent for the year. The first look at employment … Continue reading →

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Interest Rates About To Fall?

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Fed Chair Jerome Powell was as ambiguous as ever at yesterday’s post-FOMC press conference. He reported the Fed Governors decided no more rate hikes were warranted, but they needed to be more confident that inflation had been tamed … Continue reading →

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Will 2024 Be Even Better?

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The US economy grew either 2.5 percent or 3.1 percent annually in 2023, whichever GDP growth indicator you choose. Why such strong growth when the rest of the world is still recovering from the COVID pandemic? Even … Continue reading →

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US Economy Has Landed

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly There is no longer any doubt with the initial estimate of fourth quarter GDP growth just in. The US economy has made a soft landing. The economy grew 3.3 percent in Q4 after a 4.9 percent increase … Continue reading →

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Much Less Pessimism

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Is the Irrational Pessimism I’ve been writing about finally turning into a more rational optimism that reflects how consumers see the current economy? The two major measures of consumer confidence—the Conference Board’s Confidence Index and University of Michigan’s … Continue reading →

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No Recession At All?

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Ho hum, another good economic number. December retail sales are telling us why we have avoided a recession this year. It’s because consumers have increased rather than reduced their spending ways. Sales at retailers jumped +0.6 percent … Continue reading →

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Why the Irrational Pessimism–Part II

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs I said a week ago that public polls seem to be saying one thing, economic facts another. Real Clear Politics’ compendium of 11 opinion polls on whether participants approve or disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the economy … Continue reading →

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First Signs of Deflation Appearing

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Today’s Producer Price Index for Final Demand, a measure of the cost of wholesale prices, provides the first concrete evidence that we may be entering a period of deflation this New Year. And, perhaps require the Fed … Continue reading →

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Please Get Inflation Picture Right!

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Today’s news that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was “slightly hotter than expected”, per the Wall Street Journal, caused financial markets to plunge on the assumption the Fed will reduce interest rates more slowly than markets would like … Continue reading →

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