Results include
Economic Indicators
Sep 15, 2023
Bottom Line: The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment fell more than expected in the preliminary September reading. Consumers' assessments of their current situation deteriorated modestly, correlating with the increase in gasoline prices. However, their year-ahead inflation expectations dropped sharply, down...
Aug 25, 2023
Bottom Line: The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment edged slightly lower in the final reading for August. Consumers said current conditions were a touch weaker, and their future expectations were moderately lower. Year-ahead inflation expectations edged up to 3.50%, the...
Aug 11, 2023
Bottom Line: As expected, the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment edged slightly lower in early August. The index of current conditions edged slightly higher, but future expectations were modestly lower. While year-ahead inflation expectations were still above the long-term average...
Jul 28, 2023
Bottom Line: The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index was down just slightly in late July but still well above last month's reading. Consumers are generally less concerned about inflation and report stability in the labor market. However, the lowest-income...
Jul 14, 2023
Bottom Line: The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index rose sharply more than expected in the preliminary reading for July. Hitting the highest levels since 2021 and before the spike in consumer price inflation, the survey revealed that all but...
Jun 30, 2023
Bottom Line: The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index was modestly higher in the final reading, continuing to rise after a sharp rebound in early June. Consumers' expectations for year-ahead inflation fell early in the month and were steady in...
Jun 16, 2023
Bottom Line: The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index rebounded sharply in early June as consumers' expectations for year-ahead inflation fell. The resolution to the debt ceiling and mostly stable gasoline prices had consumers feeling better. That said, by historical...
May 26, 2023
Bottom Line: The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index rebounded slightly in the latter half of May, but year-ahead expectations for the economy were still down 17% from April, with long-run expectations down 14%. Consumers remain concerned about the debt...
May 12, 2023
Bottom Line: The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey showed a surprisingly sharp decline in early May. The future expectation index hit its lowest level since the initial inflation spike early last year, and the current conditions index hit its...
Apr 28, 2023
Bottom Line: The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey held the early April gains throughout the month, little changed from the initial April reading. Consumers' assessments of their current conditions edged down, while expectations for the future improved slightly. Consumers...
Apr 10, 2024
Once again, economic data is filled with sunshine, but general market sentiment continues to function as cloud cover. We discuss consumer sentiment, the housing market, and the general economy.
Jan 18, 2024
Contrary to popular belief, the Global Financial Crisis in 2023 didn’t happen — and likely won’t happen in 2024. We detail topline reports summing up year-end data and share expectations for the market this year, particularly for the banking sector.
Dec 29, 2023
In this final holiday reprint, we return to the topic of economy from this March 28 article: There are more ways than one to discern whether the US economy is in or headed for a recession. Instead of looking for the usual suspects, here are eight unconventional indicators that a recession is coming.
Mar 28, 2023
There are more ways than one to discern whether the US economy is in or headed for a recession. Instead of looking for the usual suspects, here are eight unconventional indicators that a recession is coming.
Feb 9, 2023
Algorithms are becoming a mainstay in loan approval processes, but studies show that interaction with tech doesn’t do much for customer satisfaction. Overcoming this challenge might involve CFIs adding back a dash of what they do best into their automated processes: the human touch. We discuss how this can be accomplished.