Economy

Our economy oscillates irregularly between expansion or contraction.  It is often illustrated using a stylized symmetric sine wave, demonstrating the virtuous and vicious portions of the economy depending on the direction of the curve.  Unfortunately, the actual cycle is not so smooth. 

Zombies are occasionally the subjects of fictional works.  These undead, horror-related characters are found in books, music videos, movies, and video games.  Often pathogens infect them, turning a once lively person into no more than an animated corporeal without other human essences.  Once an individual transitions, they may become a vector of the disease for which there is no

Retail sales improved in November 2019 according to the Census Bureau.  This 0.2 percent gain to $528.0 billion is on the heels of October’s upwardly revised uptick of 0.4 percent.  Versus a year ago, sales are up $17.1 billion or 3.3 percent. There was plenty of good news in the release, but as you’ll see later, one dark lining to this silver cloud.

There wasn’t a lot to celebrate in the September 2019 Retail Sales release from the Census Bureau; however, Atlas will find a way to cheer it on later in this note.  But first we must deal with the negatives.  The headline is a good place to start as the overall statistic dropped 0.3 percent, giving back most of the prior period’s 0.4 percent gain.

Economic growth slowed in January 2019 according to the latest data from the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI).  This index of 85 components dipped to minus 0.43 from after hitting +0.05 in December 2018.  Since this indicator moves quite a bit each month, Atlas pay attention to the three-month moving average; it fell to 0.0 (a reading which indicates moderate growth) from 0

Monetary policies executed by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) are designed to fulfill our central bank’s dual mandate: full-employment and price stability.  What the heck do those terms mean? 

Once again, our economy is causing more attention to be paid to the Federal Reserve than normal.  As Atlas has written (click here, here, and her

After a strong uptick in February, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index took a bit of a breather in March 2018.  This indicator, which looks at 85 components, decelerated to +0.10 versus +0.98.  Adding to the tepid tone of the release, the three-month moving average slowed to +0.27 from +0.31 a month earlier.