Quarterly Market Summary and Outlook – January 2020

The labor market is moving back into balance. No longer do we come across articles touting the Great Resignation. In 2021 and 2022, it was ‘advantage employee.’ Employees still have some leverage, but the pendulum has gradually been swinging back to employers. Of course, this varies from industry to industry, but conditions are generally balanced.

In 2021 and 2022, soaring inflation sparked the most aggressive series of rate hikes in decades. While prices remain high, the rate of those price increases has slowed, and the Federal Reserve may finally be seriously considering a reduction in interest rates.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that nonfarm payrolls rose a solid 206,000 in June, topping the consensus forecast offered by Bloomberg News of 190,000. However, first glances may not always leave the correct impression. Private sector payrolls increased by a more modest 136,000, and nonfarm payrolls were revised downward by 111,000 in April and May.

What happens when mortgage rates tumble below 3% and then spike above 7%? Unintended consequences are bound to play out. In hindsight, they aren’t difficult to spot. You’re a winner if you have no intention of moving and were lucky enough to lock in ultra-cheap rates just a few years ago. Those who want to move or renters who want to buy are less fortunate.

Much has been made of the remarkable resilience of the American economy. Forecasters who confidently called for a recession in 2023 got it wrong. So far this year, the economy is generating new jobs, and the U.S. economy has yet to falter.