Factories shutting down. A wave of job losses and few open positions. Huge financial losses that batter most industries.
So what is happening, and where could we be headed? The answer to both questions could be found in the country’s stockrooms.
Breaking it down: US GDP for the second quarter fell at an annualized rate of 0.9%, according to the first reading from the Commerce Department published Thursday. That followed a contraction of 1.6% during the first three months of the year.
The data stoked debate about whether the United States is already experiencing a recession, which economists have warned is a risk as the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates and inflation curbs consumer spending.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell, for one, doesn’t think this moment has arrived — at least not yet.
“I do not think the US is currently in a recession,” Powell said earlier this week. “There are just too many areas of the economy that are performing too well.”
But GDP doesn’t just turn negative on its own, and Thursday’s data contains useful guidance for understanding a complex economic moment.
Pay attention: Inventories, or goods held by a business that haven’t been sold yet, had a major role to play.
Companies stocked up on many items late last year as they attempted to dodge supply chain problems and ensure they could meet resurgent demand.
But in recent months, they’ve realized they have too much stuff, especially at an uncertain moment for manufacturers and shoppers, and become hesitant to place new orders.
Why it matters: Some economists and investors think that because growth was pulled forward at the end of 2021, activity in the first half of 2022 looks artificially low.
“The fourth quarter, to me, was bloated a little bit,” said Anna Rathbun, chief investment officer at CBIZ Investment Advisory Services. “Everyone was just hoarding things.”
But that doesn’t mean inventory levels should be disregarded. In fact, they contain helpful clues when monitoring how fast the US economy could decelerate from here on out.
Ed Cole, managing director of discretionary investments at Man Group, told me there’s two main reasons he’s closely watching the speed at which US inventories grow “as an indicator of where we are in the cycle.”
- If customers are buying fewer products, companies won’t place new orders, which will weigh on factory output.
- If companies are forced to get rid of unwanted inventory with hefty discounts, it will put pressure on revenue and profits.
“Recent warnings by large retailers have demonstrated this effect quite clearly,” he added.
Amazon dodges the tech slump
The e-commerce giant on Thursday reported net sales of more than $121 billion between April and June, a 7% increase from the same quarter last year and higher than Wall Street’s estimates.
Investor insight: Amazon stock surged 12% in premarket trading as investors shrugged off the company’s $2 billion loss, which it attributed in part to its investment in electric truck manufacturer Rivian.
The focus is instead on the company’s guidance for its current quarter, which ends in September. Amazon expects net sales between $125 billion and $130 billion, a jump of as much as 17% from last year.
“Big Tech’s been a mixed bag this earnings season, but Amazon proved that the strong can survive even the toughest environments,” Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Laura Hoy told clients.
Still, Apple beat estimates, sending shares up more than 2% in premarket trading.
My thought bubble: Even corporate behemoths aren’t immune to pressure from an economic downturn, but they are better insulated.
China’s leaders have gone silent on economic goals
In early March, China’s government had said that the country would aim for gross domestic product to rise by about 5.5% this year. It was China’s lowest official target for economic growth in three decades. Even so, economists have said it looks increasingly out of reach.
See here: Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund lowered its forecast for GDP growth in China to just 3.3% this year as Covid-19 lockdowns and a crisis in the real estate sector weigh on its expansion.
Now, the country’s leadership has fallen silent on growth targets altogether, my CNN Business colleague Laura He reports. At a key meeting of top leaders on Thursday, there was no mention of GDP targets.
According to analysts, this is a sign that the government thinks it might not be able to meet its goals after all.
“In today’s meeting, policymakers used the new phrase: ‘Strive to achieve the best result.’ It means that they no longer view 5.5%, or even 5% as achievable for this year,” said Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie Capital.
Up next
Also today: The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index arrives at 8:30 a.m. ET. It’s the inflation measure watched most closely by the Federal Reserve.
Coming next week: The US jobs report for July will be closely scrutinized for evidence the economy is slowing faster than expected.
— Martha White, Alicia Wallace, Rishi Iyengar and Clare Duffy contributed reporting.
Source : CNN
