Fintech Meets Climate Data
Click here to view this month’s edition of the Four Twenty Seven newsletter, with a special In Focus article on fintech and climate data.
Continue ReadingBank of the West Instant Analysis of Today’s Employment Report for April 2016
Instant Analysis of Today’s Employment Report for April The April jobs report came in weaker than expected in the face of improving jobless claims data. Nonfarm payrolls increased +160K in April- below economists consensus expectations for a +200K net gain in jobs on the month. This is the weakest monthly U.S. jobs report in seven […]
Continue ReadingInstant Analysis of Today’s FOMC Statement for April 27, 2016
Instant Analysis of Today’s FOMC Statement – April 27, 2016 The FOMC held rates steady today, as expected, holding the Fed funds target rate at 0.25 to 0.50% The Fed still in wait and see mode in my view. The FOMC is holding its future interest rate hike intentions and timing close to its […]
Continue ReadingBank of the West US Outlook Report for April 22, 2016
US Outlook Report: Gearing Up For the Big Week Ahead Next week will be a big one for investors. A full plate of tier-one economic indicators – from March durable goods orders to the advanced estimate of first-quarter GDP – are due to be released. If that isn’t enough to get your engine reviving, […]
Continue ReadingBank of the West US Outlook Report for March 25, 2016
US Outlook Report: Consumer Credit Spigot Remains Open There is growing concern as to whether or not the American consumer can continue to prop up the U.S. economy. One place to look for answers is in data on consumer credit, which can be an important indicator of consumer spending on services and durable goods. Solid […]
Continue ReadingBank of the West Instant Analysis of March FOMC Meeting
Instant Analysis of Today’s FOMC Meeting The Federal Reserve decided not to hike the Fed funds target rate at the March FOMC meeting today- as widely expected. The headline from this week’s meeting is the big cut in the FOMC “dot-plot” interest rate path through 2018. In one fell swoop, the FOMC cut the […]
Continue ReadingBank of the West US Outlook Report for February 26, 2016
US Outlook Report: The Housing Sector Still On Solid Ground Despite a disappointing new home sales report for January, the U.S. housing market is poised for continued gains in the months to come. More winter-weather in January led to mixed readings on housing starts and new home sales, but it is too early to call […]
Continue ReadingBank of the West US Outlook Report for February 19, 2016
US Outlook Report: Soothing Signs of Economic Growth This week’s influx of somewhat better U.S. economic data and tentative stabilization in crude oil prices provide more evidence that economic contraction in the near-term is unlikely. Importantly, U.S. industrial production growth accelerated to an 11.7 percent annualized pace in January, the best annualized rate of growth […]
Continue ReadingBank of the West US Outlook Report for February 12, 2016
US Outlook Report: One Monetary Step Too Far We have become quite accustomed to financial crises over the past decade: the sub-prime crisis, the housing bubble collapse, the European sovereign debt crisis, Grexit, the oil crisis, and the list continues to grow. Global central banks have largely fought these financial crises with extraordinary monetary policies, […]
Continue ReadingBank of the West Instant Analysis for February 10, 2016
Instant Analysis: Chair Yellen’s Semi-Annual Humphrey-Hawkins Testimony to Congress Key Insights From Chair Yellen’s Testimony Before Congress Today Chair Yellen kept her options open on rate hikes this year. No additional information on timing or number of Fed interest rate hikes this year. However, there was plenty of reference to global growth risks and deteriorating […]
Continue Reading