Jobless claims show US coast is clear except for mutations
Economically, I would say we're out of the woods for a recession now except to the degree mutant variants force new lockdowns. Four data points, real quick here.
The 14-day change in hospitalization is -23%, with 91,440 hospitalizations…
Epidemiological tail risk in an era of missing price signals
The title of the post is supposed to marry what's happening on the pandemic front with what's happening in financial markets. The gist is that, in a world where unexpected levels of economic resiliency has been the norm, we should wonder…
How to think about the GameStop saga
I've been thinking about what happened with share prices of GameStop and other companies that were bid up last week and want to give you a few thoughts on what I think happened and why it matters. Part of this is about the mechanics of…
The pandemic, gamma squeezes and intergenerational conflict
You know this is going to be a redonkulous post by the name. So I am warning you ahead of time. It's going to be super macro - so half thought piece and half tactical. Let's see how many different interrelated topics I can manage to…
Three yield curve outcomes and grey swans
I am in an even more hopeful mood now than ever. But, at the same time, I still have my worries about downside risks given how euphoric asset markets have been and how mediocre economic data have been. I think that split between hope and…
The reflation trade and three yield curve outcomes
As the new year has begun, I've been thinking a lot about the 'look through' narrative that sees the post-pandemic light at the end of a dark tunnel. While I have a lot of sympathy for the thought that pent-up demand for services will drive…
Jump in initial claims to 965,000
Jobless claims data around the holiday season is marred by lots of seasonality. And so, only in the coming weeks are we likely to get a 'clean' look at what's going on in real time.
The latest report shows a step change that is worrying,…
Some thoughts on this latest wave of coronavirus
While job losses may be the norm for the next few months, I have actually been somewhat encouraged by data out of the US. That was the macro takeaway from my last piece.
The problem is and has always been the pandemic, particularly for the…
Job losses may be the norm for a few months
In mid-December, when I was pegging market and economic trends, I said "Don't be surprised if we see job losses in future US jobs reports in the new year." And with both the ADP Wednesday and the US Labor Department data today confirming…
Hope and Risk
I know you want me to talk about how angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol yesterday just five miles from where I live. But actually, let's leave that as a tangential topic and use today to marry the first two posts of 2021 that I…