Claudia Sahm on the "Sahm Rule", and the Health of the Economy Today
Apr 1, 2024
auto_awesome
Economist Claudia Sahm discusses the 'Sahm Rule' for recession prediction using unemployment rates. The podcast also covers market trends, crypto highs, cocoa price surge, economic forecasts, and the battle at Disney over streaming profits. Additionally, it explores opportunity costs in economics for career starters and the impact of Bitcoin halving on the cryptocurrency market.
Claudia Sahm created the 'Sahm Rule' as a reliable indicator for impending recessions based on rising unemployment rates.
Extreme weather conditions in West Africa have caused cocoa prices to double, impacting chocolate makers and potentially leading to consumer price hikes.
Deep dives
Recent Stock Market Performance
The S&P 500 and Dow industrials closed the first quarter of 2019 with significant gains, marking their best performances in years. The S&P 500 gained 10.2%, while the Dow 30 saw a 5.6% increase. The NASDAQ also showed a strong uptrend with a 9.1% gain. Despite these record highs, concerns linger about valuations being historically high.
Market Streaks and Predictions
Following a five-month streak of gains in the S&P 500, historical analysis reveals various outcomes. Notably, after similar streaks, the market traded lower only five out of twelve times in the following month. However, a year after such streaks, the market was higher in all instances, with an average gain of 14%. The trend suggests that market movements tend to continue in the same direction.
Rising Cocoa Prices
Cocoa prices have surged due to extreme weather conditions affecting production in West Africa, a major cocoa-producing region. Flooding, drought, and disease have led to significant declines in cocoa crop yields, causing prices to more than double in the past year. This increase in cocoa prices is impacting chocolate makers like Hershey's and Mondelez, leading to potential price hikes for consumers.
Claudia Somm and the Sarm Rule
Claudia Somm, an experienced economist, has developed a recession indicator known as the Sarm Rule. Based on unemployment rate fluctuations, the rule signals the early stages of a recession if the rate increases by half a percentage point or more. This indicator has demonstrated accuracy in predicting recessions since the 1970s. Somm emphasizes the importance of monitoring labor market trends to mitigate economic downturns.
Claudia Sahm didn't coin the "Sahm Rule", but she has taken on the responsibility that comes with having an economics rule and recession indicator named after her. The macroeconomist who worked at the Federal Reserve and the White House Council of Economic Advisers joins The Express with her forecast for the U.S. economy, including what could go very right, and what could go very wrong. Plus, divergences across the stock market make this recent run to all time highs even more interesting. Happy financial literacy month!