Economic Commentary

ECONOMY AND POLICY September 18, 2020 Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses current economic conditions. There were no significant surprises following the September 15-16 Federal Open Market Committee meeting. As expected, short-term interest rates were left unchanged and the FOMC did not alter its asset purchase plans. In the Summary of Economic Projections, Fed officials’ projections […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY September 18, 2020 Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses the latest market data. The major stock market indices were choppy on a day-to-day basis, as investors continued to reevaluate the rally off the lows. The economic data reports were inconsequential. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in August (-0.2% y/y), also up 0.4% […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY September 11, 2020 Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses current economic conditions. Amid extreme social distancing, economic activity took a major hit in March and April. The initial rebound in May, June, and July was strong, but partial, and the pace of improvement appears to have slowed in August. The easy part of […]

Weekly Market Snapshot ECONOMY AND POLICY September 11, 2020 Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses the latest market data. The major stock market indices were choppy on a day-to-day basis, as investors continued to reevaluate the rally off the lows. The economic data reports were inconsequential. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in August (-0.2% y/y), […]