Key economic indicators are mostly positive

Lots has transpired since equity markets hit their lows the day before Christmas '18. Markets were panicked over a number of things: the shutdown of the federal government, mounting trade tensions with China, slowdowns in the Eurozone and Chinese economies, downward revisions to profit forecasts (e.g., Apple), the proximate return of trillion-dollar federal deficits, the path of monetary policy (e.g., the flatness of the yield curve), the plunge in oil prices (from $77/bbl in early October to $42 by Christmas), and the rise in credit spreads. Over the past two weeks these fears have lessened, but the market is still worried.

The following charts (all of which include the most recent data available as of today) present a good overview of just where key economic indicators stand today. (My next post will feature key financial indicators.) We're not out of the woods, since the indicators are not uniformly positive, but it remains the case, as I've said several times in recent months, that the U.S. economy's fundamentals remain healthy. The recent turmoil is thus more likely a panic attack than the beginnings of another recession.

Chart #1

The labor market has rarely been so healthy, as suggested by Chart #1. The number of job openings now exceeds the number of people looking for work! Today is arguably the best time to be looking for a job in generations.

Chart #2

Chart #3

Small businesses employ the great majority of Americans, and small business owners are still very optimistic about the future (see Chart #2), despite the market turmoil of the past several months. In fact, the biggest problem facing most small businesses is the difficulty in finding qualified people to fill their job openings. Hiring plans, as shown in Chart #3, remain very expansionary. Optimism among those capable of creating growth is very important.

Chart #4

If we consider the less numerous number of manufacturing/industrial concerns (Chart #4), the ISM manufacturing survey reveals a disturbing drop in sentiment in December. This unfortunately coincides with the weak numbers coming out of the Eurozone in recent months. Undoubtedly, the recent market turmoil has made corporate executives a bit circumspect in regards to the future. This doesn't necessarily mean we're on the verge of another recession however: these surveys have experienced several periods of weakness in prior years which were subsequently reversed without an intervening recession. Whatever the case, Chart #4 is probably the least optimistic chart in this collection.

Chart #5

Nevertheless, and despite the weak ISM surveys, Chart #5 shows that industrial production in the US reached an all-time high last month, and it has made impressive strides since late 2016. The Eurozone, in contrast, has stalled and weakened on the margin, as uncertainty over the future of the EU, coupled with an oppressive tax and regulatory environment, has plagued sentiment and confidence. China has slowed down as well. Most data point to the Chinese economy growing at its slowest pace (4-5% or even less) in over two decades, and the stock market is down some 30% in the past year. For that matter, it is hard to name any country outside of the U.S. that is enjoying healthy growth. Does this mean the U.S. is doomed? Or does it just mean that conditions here are so favorable that we are likely to once again be the world's engine of growth in coming years? As an optimist, I'm inclined to the latter interpretation; in my experience it always usually pays to give the U.S. economy the benefit of the doubt.

Chart #6

US freight shipments, shown in Chart #6, have surged over 14% since Trump's election. This is one of the most impressive signs I have seen that the US economy is growing at a healthy, and perhaps surprising pace. The rest of the world is having problems, but we are doing about as well as could be expected, to judge from this chart.

Chart #7

Chart #7 shows a subset of freight shipments—truck tonnage—which is also quite strong. But it also shows how the recent surge in physical activity in the US economy is at odds with the recent decline in equity prices. This could be a very good sign that the market selloff is due more to "panic" than to any actual or impending economic slump.

Chart #8

   

As Chart #8 shows, car sales in the US have been relatively flat for several years. I had expected to see sales rise above previous record levels, if only to make up for the extensive and extended decline in sales that began in 2008 (i.e., years of very weak sales plus an aging fleet should have translated into above-average new car sales for at least a year or two). Regardless, flat car sales do not necessarily imply future economic weakness, and could simply reflect a pause. Bear in mind that jobs are growing at a healthy 2% pace, real incomes are rising, and the population continues to increase.

Chart #9

As is the case with car sales, housing starts have stalled in the past year or so. Furthermore, builder sentiment (the red line in Chart #9) has slumped of late. Does this portend the beginnings of another housing crash? I doubt it. I think it just reflects the fact that housing supply had run a bit ahead of demand, which began to be hurt by rising prices and rising mortgage rates. In other words, housing had become less affordable, a problem which is naturally solved by a combination of flat to lower prices, slower growth in new home construction, and a reduction in borrowing costs (mortgage rates have dropped almost half a point in the past several weeks). This all smacks of a market-driven adjustment process, not the beginnings of another housing crash. It's also important to note that in recent years the housing market has not been distorted by government mandates, unlike the boom of the early 2000s, when Congress forced banks to make un-sound loans which were subsequently purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Chart #10

The Fed recently updated its estimates of household financial burdens, as shown in Chart #10. Here we see that financial obligations (monthly payments for mortgage debt, consumer debt, auto loans, rent, homeowners' insurance and property taxes) are about as low, relative to monthly disposable incomes, as they have been for many decades. Households have been unusually responsible in the management of their finances. This puts a very important sector of the economy on solid footing.

Chart #11

The economic outlook is far from perfect, but there are numerous signs of strength and general health. Things would be better if there weren't so many headwinds. Regardless, at the very least the above observations are consistent with current Fed estimates of 2.5% GDP growth in the fourth quarter. And it is reasonable to expect growth of at least as much in coming quarters, as Chart #11 suggests (i.e., the current 0.9% real yield on 5-yr TIPS is consistent with a real GDP growth trend of 2.5 - 3%). That's not gang-buster growth, but it's better than we've seen for most of the past 9 years. 

In my next post, due out shortly, I will review a number of key financial indicators: interest rates, spreads, volatility, the dollar, and commodity prices.