Eurodollar University

Now that everyone is coming to grips with economic weakness, particularly where it comes to employment conditions, understanding the high potential for a lot more or worse, people are trying to figure out where it is coming from therefore what might be done to turn it all around. Did the Fed break the economy? Are employers worried about the next President? Eurodollar University's conversation w/Steve Van Metrehttps://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

Americans continue to say they're alarmed about job prospects. That's what consumer confidence is truly about, not consumer spending. Workers see and understand labor market shifts before they show up in the major data sources. The latest income data show there is every reason to believe what consumers are seeing. Eurodollar University's Money & Macro AnalysisConference Board September 2024https://www.conference-board.org/topics/consumer-confidence/press/CCI-Sep-2024FRBNY Consumer Confidence: A Useful Indicator of . . . the Labor Market?https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2013/09/consumer-confidence-a-useful-indicator-of-the-labor-market/FRBNY Survey of Consumer Expectationshttps://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/sce#/earnuncert-1https://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

Not content to leave it with the PBOC's Oprah-fest of rate cutting, China's central authorities announced what's being called a massive stimulus push. The response has been near-euphoria in Chinese and other stocks, but the opposite in more crucial markets and places. All the more curious given how much other "stimulus" is being offered around the world, central bank rate cuts that are accelerating. Eurodollar University's Money & Macro AnalysisThe Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a meeting to analyze and study the current economic situation and economic work.https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202409/content_6976686.htmReuters Exclusive: China to issue $284 billion of sovereign debt this year to help revive economyhttps://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/china-issue-284-bln-sovereign-debt-this-year-help-revive-economy-sources-say-2024-09-26/https://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

It's not just USTs. Rates are falling all over the world faster in shorter maturities than long. That means a global wave of un-inversions and bull steepening right as more and more central banks plan to accelerate their own rate cutting. All of it for the same reason. Globally synchronized.***CHECK OUT EURODOLLAR UNIVERSITY's FALL SALE***https://www.eurodollar.universityEurodollar University's Money & Macro AnalysisNBB Is a recession imminent? The signal of the yield curvehttps://www.nbb.be/doc/ts/publications/economicreview/2019/ecorevi2019_h4.pdfBloomberg Riksbank Cuts Rate Again and Opens Door to Half-Point Movehttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-25/riksbank-cuts-rate-a-quarter-point-and-opens-door-to-bigger-move

Chinese authorities held a surprise press conference early this morning where PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng did his best Oprah Winfrey impression handing out rate cuts to practically everyone. All that does is further expose the gravity of the situation: the more the central bank or any authority does, the worse you know it is since rate cuts never work. China just announced a lot of them. Eurodollar University's Money & Macro AnalysisBloomberg China Unleashes Stimulus Package to Revive Economy, Marketshttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-24/china-frees-banks-to-lend-more-cuts-key-interest-ratehttps://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

More confirmation that recession is coming back with a vengeance in Europe. The latest data indicates the dangers this time around including jobs and layoffs. This situation in Europe is hardly unique. This is why central bankers are out in force downplaying their own rate cuts; to the point a few policymakers are outright lying why they voted for them.  Eurodollar University's Money & Macro AnalysisBloomberg Fed’s Waller Says Slowing Inflation Led Him to Support Large Rate Cuthttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-20/waller-says-slowing-inflation-led-him-to-support-large-rate-cutBloomberg Fed’s Kashkari Says Interest-Rate Hikes Not Entirely Ruled Outhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-28/fed-s-kashkari-says-rate-hike-not-entirely-ruled-outBloomberg Fed’s Neel Kashkari Expects Two Quarter-Point Cuts Before Year’s Endhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-23/neel-kashkari-backed-fed-s-large-cut-and-another-half-point-this-yearBloomberg Fed’s Bostic Says He Now Might Favor More Than One 2024 Cuthttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-23/fed-s-bostic-says-he-now-might-favor-more-than-one-cut-this-yearAtlanta Fed On the State of the US Economy and Monetary Policyhttps://www.atlantafed.org/news/speeches/2024/09/23/bostic--on-the-state-of-the-us-economy-and-monetary-policyS&P Global  S&P Global Flash US Composite PMI September 2024https://www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/PressRelease/35c60149cdbe461fb6bc3c959a58a551S&P Global/Hamburg Commercial Bank HCOB Flash Eurozone PMI September 2024https://www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/PressRelease/cf25d7bb494046ae9256a00ca028f09ahttps://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

The Fed just cut its benchmark rate by 50-bps even though jobless claims are among the lowest in their history. At the same time, CPI shelter prices have accelerated. Neither seems like it would warrant the Fed action yet there are good reasons to believe true unemployment is very different from claims and current market rents are plunging. Eurodollar University's conversation w/Steve Van Metrehttps://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

FedEx's CEO admitted some truth about the Fed's rate cut this week, and the stock was immediately punished for it, dropping 15% on Friday. This raises a bunch of questions, starting with: what happens to stocks in general when the Fed cuts rates? The answer is not what you think.Eurodollar University's Money & Macro AnalysisCNBC FedEx quarterly profit disappoints as demand for speedy delivery waneshttps://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/19/fedex-reports-drop-in-quarterly-earnings-on-lower-demand-for-priority-services.htmlRobert Shiller 2013 Nobel Speculative Asset Priceshttps://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/shiller-lecture.pdfhttps://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

Now that the Fed has done it, everyone wants to get in on the act. They call it "undershooting" which is just a fancy word for "bonds were right." Switzerland, Canada, even the Europeans all thinking hefty and accelerated schedules. Leave it to the Brits to be the lone exception. Eurodollar University's Money & Macro AnalysisBloomberg Bank of Canada Officials Split on Balance of Inflation Riskshttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-18/bank-of-canada-officials-are-split-on-balance-of-inflation-risksBloomberg Swiss Government Sees Sharp Drop in Inflation Rate Next Yearhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-19/swiss-government-sees-sharp-drop-in-inflation-rate-next-yearBloomberg Swiss Economists See ‘Substantial’ Chance of SNB Half-Point Cuthttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-19/swiss-economists-see-sustantial-chance-of-snb-half-point-cutPolitico EU Portuguese bank chief: ECB may need to accelerate interest rate cutshttps://www.politico.eu/article/mario-centeno-ecb-may-need-accelerate-easing-interest-rate-date-bank-portugal/ZEW Hopes of a Recovery Are Fadinghttps://www.zew.de/en/press/latest-press-releases/hopes-of-a-recovery-are-fadingBloomberg Germany May Already Be in Mild Recession, Bundesbank Sayshttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-19/germany-may-already-be-in-mild-recession-bundesbank-saysEuronews US chip-maker Intel has announced plans to postpone the construction of a factory in Germany for at least two years.https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/09/17/intel-postpones-construction-of-german-chip-factory-for-two-yearshttps://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

The Fed cut its benchmark rates by 50 bps in a panicky move to catch up to both the economy and the marketplace. Reaction in the latter was muted because this wasn't unexpected. All the FOMC did was confirm everything - and then deny that it did. Eurodollar University's Money & Macro AnalysisBloomberg Fed Minutes Show Officials Rally Around Higher-for-Longer Rateshttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-22/minutes-show-officials-rallying-around-higher-for-longer-ratesFOMC September statementhttps://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/monetary20240918a1.pdfFOMC September projectionshttps://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/fomcprojtabl20240918.pdfFOMC June projectionshttps://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/fomcprojtabl20240612.pdfhttps://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU