1. Fed Official Says Rate Cuts Could Be Needed Next Year to Prevent Overtightening — San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said her outlook for interest rates and inflation was “very close” to the median of projections from 19 Fed officials last week. Most of them penciled in at least three rate cuts next year amid a faster decline in inflation than they anticipated. Daly said she is watching the effect that restrictive policy has on the labor market. When the unemployment rate starts to rise, it tends to go up by a lot and not by only a little bit, Daly said. As a result, “we have to be forward looking and make sure that we don’t give people price stability but take away jobs.”
Daly said she thought interest-rate policy was in a “good place” to achieve that result. In a notable shift, she said the Fed’s focus now needed to turn toward paying attention to both sides of its mandate.
2. Home Sales Ticked Up in November After 5 Months of Declines — home sales ticked up from 13-year lows in November after five consecutive months of declines, even as mortgage rates near their highest levels in two decades continued to weigh on sales.
Existing-home sales, which make up most of the housing market, increased 0.8% in November from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.82 million, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. November sales fell 7.3% from a year earlier. Existing-home sales for the full year in 2023 are on track to be the lowest since at least 2011. Affordability has improved slightly since then, as mortgage rates have declined for seven consecutive weeks and fell below 7% last week. That could spur more home-buying activity in early 2024, real-estate agents say.
3. U.S. third-quarter GDP growth trimmed to 4.9%, with consumer spending not quite as strong — growth of gross domestic product, the official scorecard for the economy, was reduced from a previously reported 5.2% in the government’s third estimate. It was still the biggest increase in GDP in a decade, however, excluding the pandemic years of 2020-21.
Yet while the economy is still growing, it’s cooled off quite a bit. GDP is forecast to increase by a mild 1% to 2% in the final three months of 2023. Business investment, the next biggest part of the economy, expanded at a slightly stronger 2.6% pace. Business profits, meanwhile, increased for the second quarter in a row. They rose 3.4%.
The annual rate of inflation in the third quarter was revised down to 2.6% from 2.8%. The increase in the core rate that excludes food and energy was marked down to 2% from 2.3%.
4. Prices Fell in November for the First Time Since 2020. Inflation Is Approaching Fed Target — the personal-consumption expenditures price index fell 0.1% in November from the previous month, the first decline since April 2020. It was up 2.6% on the year. Excluding food and energy prices, the index was up 0.1% on the month, same as in October. On the year, core inflation was up 3.2% in November, down from 3.4%. The Federal Reserve targets 2% annual inflation using the PCE price index.
On a six-month annualized basis, core inflation eased to 1.9%, suggesting the Fed is well on its way to reaching the target. Consumer spending, meanwhile, was up 0.2% on the month in November, higher than 0.1% in October and a sign of confidence in the economy on the part of American households. Overall personal income was up 0.4%, better than 0.3% in October.

Merry Xmas and wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. The staffs at EGS Capital.

“To get what you want, you have to deserve what you want. The world is not yet a crazy enough place to reward a whole bunch of
undeserving people.” ― Charles T. Munger

1. Inflation slowed to a 3.1% annual rate in November — The consumer price index, a closely watched inflation gauge, increased 0.1% in November, and was up 3.1% from a year ago, the Labor Department reported. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for no gain and a yearly rate of 3.1%.
While the monthly rate indicated a pickup from the flat CPI reading in October, the annual rate showed another decline after hitting 3.2% a month earlier. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the core CPI increased 0.3% on the month and 4% from a year ago. Both numbers were in line with estimates and little changed from October.
The November numbers are still well above the Fed’s 2% target, though showing continuing progress. Policymakers focus more on core inflation as a signal for longer-term trends.
2. Fed holds rates steady, indicates three cuts coming in 2024 — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday held its key interest rate steady for the third straight time and set the table for multiple cuts to come in 2024 and beyond. With the inflation rate easing and the economy holding in, policymakers on the Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to keep the benchmark overnight borrowing rate in a targeted range between 5.25%-5.5%. Along with the decision to stay on hold, committee members penciled in at least three rate cuts in 2024, assuming quarter percentage point increments. That’s less than market pricing of four, but more aggressive than what officials had previously indicated.
3. US Producer-Price Inflation Cools to Below 1% as Energy Slides — The producer price index for final demand was unchanged from a month earlier. Excluding food and energy, the so-called core PPI was also flat, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed.
From a year ago, the overall measure was up 0.9%, while the core gauge was up 2%, the least since January 2021. Services prices were unchanged for the second straight month. Goods prices were also unchanged after a steep decline in October. Energy costs fell 1.2% last month.
4. Strong Holiday Spending Adds to Signs U.S. May Beat Inflation Without Downturn — Signaling a strong start to the holiday season, retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in November from the month before, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That was a rebound from October’s downwardly revised 0.2% decline and a surprise to economists who had expected sales to fall again last month.
The data extended a week of positive readings for the U.S. economy. The unemployment rate fell in November, inflation cooled and the Federal Reserve pivoted Wednesday away from raising interest rates and toward considering when to cut them. The good tidings have ignited a rally on Wall Street, pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a record high and caused yields on the 10-year Treasury note to fall below 4% on Thursday.

The week ahead — Economic data from Econoday.com:

“Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Systematically you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. Nevertheless, you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts. Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day. At the end of the day – if you live long enough – most people get what they deserve.” — C Munger

1. Bank of Canada Expected to Hold Rates Steady on Deteriorating Outlook –Bank of Canada Gov. Tiff Macklem said interest rates may be at an appropriate level to wrestle inflation down further to the central bank’s 2% target. Economists say those remarks were prescient given new indicators measuring price increases, gross domestic product and the health of the labor market. Headline inflation in Canada cooled to 3.1% in October, from 3.8% in the prior month, and a peak of 8.1% in June 2022. More important, three-month measures of core consumer prices—which strip out volatile items like food and energy—fell to their lowest levels since early 2021. The Bank of Canada sets rate policy to achieve and maintain 2% inflation, and central bank officials have repeatedly said they need to see evidence of sustainable deceleration in core inflation before rate cuts can be entertained.
2. Moody’s Faces Growing Backlash Over Its Negative Outlook on China — New York-based Moody’s on lowered its outlook on China’s credit rating to negative from stable and kept its A1 investment-grade rating on the country—which it hasn’t changed since 2017. The credit rater said the growing debt problems of some cities and provinces would force China’s central government to provide financial support when economic growth is slowing. The country is also grappling with a deep property slump.
The change in Moody’s view led to a raft of similar changes to its outlooks for China’s state-owned banks, insurers and companies, including 22 local government financing vehicles that have issued international bonds. Moody’s also shifted to a negative credit-rating outlook for Hong Kong and Macau, both semiautonomous regions of China. That similarly cascaded down to its outlook for other companies, including the operator of Hong Kong’s subway system.
3. U.S. Wholesale Inventories Fell Again in October — Inventories at merchant wholesalers were 0.4% lower at the end of October than the same point a month earlier, according to adjusted Commerce Department figures released. Economists had expected inventories to slip by 0.2%, according to a poll carried out by The Wall Street Journal.
In September, inventories stayed at the same level as in August, according to revised figures that had previously shown a slight and unexpected rise.
Inventories of nondurable goods led the decrease in October, slipping 1.0%, with petroleum levels falling the fastest. Durable goods, on the other hand, increased slightly on the month, led by rising machinery stocks.
4. U.S. Consumer Confidence Jumps in December as Inflation Pressure Eases — A preliminary reading Friday of the University of Michigan’s consumer-confidence index show it surging to 69.4 points from 61.3 at the end of November. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had expected it to rise less sharply to 62.4.
The jump reverses four previous months of declines, though confidence remains well below levels before the Covid-19 pandemic, survey director Joanne Hsu said. Consumers are confident that inflation will fall more rapidly than previously expected, seeing it at 3.1% for the year ahead compared with 4.5% previously, the survey showed.

The week ahead — Economic data from Econoday.com:

‘Avoid crazy at all costs’ –– Charles Munger

1. Fed’s Waller, Bowman Open Door to Another Interest Rate Pause in December — Two Federal Reserve officials who led the push for higher interest rates to curb inflation last year signaled they could be comfortable holding rates steady for now, reinforcing expectations that the central bank’s current hiking cycle is done. While the remarks don’t fundamentally change expectations for the Fed’s December meeting, Waller’s comments in particular suggest support is widening among officials for an extended policy pause amid signs that economic activity, inflation and the labor market are cooling.
2. U.S. GDP grew at a 5.2% rate in the third quarter, even stronger than first indicated — Gross domestic product, a measure of all goods and services produced during the three-month period, accelerated at a 5.2% annualized pace, the department’s second estimate showed. The acceleration topped the initial 4.9% reading and was better than the 5% forecast from economists polled by Dow Jones. Primarily, the upward revision came from increases in nonresidential fixed investment, which includes structures, equipment and intellectual property. The category showed a rise of 1.3%, which still marked a sharp downward shift from previous quarters.
Government spending also helped boost the Q3 estimate, rising 5.5% for the July-through-September period.
However, consumer spending saw a downward revision, now rising just 3.6%, compared with 4% in the initial estimate.
3. Fed’s favorite gauge shows inflation rose 0.2% in October and 3.5% from a year ago, as expected — the personal consumption expenditures price index, excluding food and energy prices, rose 0.2% for the month and 3.5% on a year-over-year basis, the Commerce Department reported. Both numbers aligned with the Dow Jones consensus.
Headline inflation was flat on the month and at a 3% rate for the 12-month period, the release also showed. Energy prices fell 2.6% on the month, helping keep overall inflation in check, even as food prices increased 0.2%.
Goods prices saw a 0.3% decrease while services rose 0.2%. On the services side, the biggest gainers were international travel, health care and food services and accommodations. In goods, gasoline led the gainers.
Personal income and spending both rose 0.2% on the month, also meeting estimates and indicating that consumers are keeping pace with inflation.

The week ahead — Economic data from Econoday.com: