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Analysis of current economic conditions and policy

Core PCE Instantaneous Inflation at 3.6% in January, Same in February?

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Using the Cleveland Fed nowcast for February, y/y inflation will be 3%, instantaneous at 3.2%, 3.6% instantaneous using Goldman Sachs estimate based on today’s PPI release.

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This entry was posted on February 27, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

Interpreting the Shrinking Term Spread

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At high frequency, the 10yr-3mo and 10yr-Fed funds spreads are shrinking:

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This entry was posted on February 27, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

Alternative Estimates of Q4 Output

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GDO and GDP+.

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This entry was posted on February 26, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

News-Based Trade Policy Uncertainty Highest since April

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So the IEEPA tariffs are gone. Now a hodge podge of indefinitely-lived tariffs lives on, with uncertainty elevated.

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This entry was posted on February 25, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

Confidence and Sentiment: February 2026

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With the release of the Conference Board’s Confidence Index, and the SF Fed’s News Sentiment Index, we have the following picture:

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This entry was posted on February 24, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

Guest Contribution: “Understanding Bond-Stock Price Comovements”

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Today, we’re fortunate to have Willem Thorbecke, Senior Fellow at Japan’s Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) as a guest contributor. The views expressed represent those of the author himself, and do not necessarily represent those of RIETI, or any other institutions the author is affiliated with.


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This entry was posted on February 24, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

Cautionary Notes to Avoid Rookie Economist Errors, Revised Edition:

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As I’m teaching econometrics, I’m adding in handling-of-data issues. Examples from the last three years.

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This entry was posted on February 22, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

Business Cycle Indicators: GDP, Personal Income, Mfg & Trade Industry Sales, Consumption

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NBER Business Cycle Dating Committee (BCDC) key variables:

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This entry was posted on February 22, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

Section 122 Implementation in Context

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CRS via Bloomberg, various trade authorities.

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This entry was posted on February 21, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

On the Q4 Advance Release: GDP vs. “Core GDP” and Residential Investment

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Yesterday, Jim moved the Econbrowser  Little Econ Watcher’s countenance to neutral 😐, based primarily on Q3 growth, using the methodology outlined in this post. Remember, there will be two revisions for Q4 growth (before the annual revision, and succeeding revisions). What are some other readings from the Q4 release?

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This entry was posted on February 21, 2026 by Menzie Chinn.

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Authors

James D. Hamilton is Professor of Economics at the University of California, San Diego

Menzie Chinn is Professor of Public Affairs and Economics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

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  • James Hamilton
  • Menzie Chinn

Recent Posts

  • Core PCE Instantaneous Inflation at 3.6% in January, Same in February?
  • Interpreting the Shrinking Term Spread
  • Alternative Estimates of Q4 Output
  • News-Based Trade Policy Uncertainty Highest since April
  • Confidence and Sentiment: February 2026

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Current Indicators

Econbrowser faces the data: (since  Feb 20, 2026)

Econbrowser recession indicator index: 1.8 (describes  2025:Q3)

The most recent U.S. recession began in 2020:Q1 and ended in 2020:Q2

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