Taylor Nugent, a market economist at NAB, shares insights on essential economic trends. He discusses the declining job openings in the US alongside Japan's falling unemployment, indicating mixed signals in the labor market. Taylor highlights the significance of upcoming GDP and CPI figures from Europe and Australia, and addresses how these might influence the Reserve Bank of Australia's decisions. The conversation also delves into the anticipation surrounding tech earnings from giants like Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft, which could shape market reactions.
US job openings have declined significantly, suggesting potential cooling in the labor market despite a slight increase in hiring rates.
The revision of GDP forecasts highlights cautious economic growth expectations amid robust consumer spending and evolving inflationary trends in Europe.
Deep dives
Job Market Insights
Job openings in the US have declined significantly, with the latest JOLTS report showing 7.4 million openings in September, down from 7.86 million in August. This figure was notably below market expectations, indicating a potential cooling trend in the labor market. Despite this decline, the hiring rate has increased slightly to 3.5%, signaling mixed signals in employment trends. Factors such as weather and strikes may have impacted the data, suggesting that the drop in openings could be a temporary anomaly rather than a systemic issue.
Economic Growth Projections
The Atlanta Fed's GDPNow forecast has been revised down to 2.8% for Q3, from an earlier projection of 3.3%, reflecting a more cautious outlook for economic growth. This adjustment aligns with consensus forecasts, both indicating robust consumer spending as a key driver. Strong personal consumption, anticipated to rise by 3.3%, supports the notion of resilience in economic performance despite underlying uncertainties. The revisions underscore how timely economic indicators can significantly influence growth projections amid evolving market conditions.
Global Inflation Trends and Impacts
Inflation rates in Europe are in focus, with key data releases about CPI figures influencing monetary policy expectations. Eurozone growth remains sluggish, and there are worries that Germany may slip into a technical recession with a projected 0.1% decline in GDP. The upcoming inflation reports will be crucial in determining the European Central Bank's strategy moving forward, particularly given the contrast between Eurozone trends and relatively stronger growth in the US. Investors are also closely monitoring earnings reports from major tech companies, which could further impact market sentiment and economic forecasts.
Something for everyone today. On the jobs front US openings are down, whilst unemployment in Japan fell. On growth we have the US GDP number today, after the Atlanta Fed’s GDP Now forecast for Q3 was revised down. Europe’s GDP numbers are released today along with CPI for various European countries, and for the Eurozone as a whole, today and tomorrow. More significantly, Australia’s quarterly CPI read is released this morning. Phil asks NAB’s Taylor Nugent whether it’ll have much impact on the timing of cuts from the RBA. Then there’s the tech earnings - Alphabet today, Meta and Microsoft tomorrow, Apple the day after.