Today, we present a guest post written by Jeffrey Frankel, Harpel Professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and formerly a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. A shorter version appeared at Project Syndicate. Also available as a podcast.
Author Archives: Menzie Chinn
Recession, Inflation – What’s the Market View?
The economy is still likely to grow, according to at least the 10yr-3mo spread. Less definitive indicator from the 10yr-2yr. Expected inflation rates have stopped moving up, and so too have implied future rates 2-3 months ahead; in fact they’ve both fallen in recent days. (For what analysis, rather than markets, think about inflation, see Jim’s Monday post; on recession, see Jim’s Wednesday post.
Wisconsin Employment and GDP: Actual and Outlook
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue released its February Economic Outlook on Monday.
Benchmarked January Employment in Wisconsin
DWD released benchmarked employment in Wisconsin yesterday. Overall employment was higher in 2021 than earlier estimated, but the slowdown in now more pronounced.
“Though wages are rising, inflation is winning the race”
That’s the title of a NPR report.
Oil Price Forecasts: DoE EIA vs. Futures
Forecast as of 3 March, and confidence intervals implied by options.
Inflation in February
Oil prices were on the rise before the invasion, so gasoline prices were up. Headline m/m ticked up, core down. We are below peaks for month-on-month, even if you hear about 40 year highs (on year-on-year).
The Gasoline Intensity of US GDP
Gasoline prices hit new (nominal) highs. But the usage of gasoline per unit GDP (and in absolute terms) has declined since 2008.
The Ruble: Convertible No Longer
From Anders Aslund at Project Syndicate:
And on March 8, the central bank decided to stop exchanging rubles for foreign currencies, which means that the ruble is no longer convertible.