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That is an audio transcript of the Behind the Cash podcast episode: ‘A special solution to perceive the US economic system’
Michela Tindera
Hey there. It’s Michela. I’ve a brief be aware earlier than we bounce into the present. For greater than a 12 months now, you’ve been listening to all my questions on banking, about crypto, about Apple and Tesla. However now it’s your flip to ask the questions. For a future episode, we’d like to listen to what questions you will have about enterprise or finance. I’ll take these questions proper to our skilled FT journalists all over the world and get you solutions. So let me know what burning questions you will have. There’s just a few methods you may get in contact. First, there’s a hyperlink in our present notes the place you possibly can report your query as a voice message and ship it to us that manner. It’s simple, I promise. Or you too can simply electronic mail me or tweet at me straight. My contact particulars are listed within the present notes too. We would play or learn your query on the present, and I can’t wait to see what you ship in. So with that, let’s get on to this week’s episode.
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Making predictions in regards to the state of the economic system isn’t actually a simple job.
Robert Armstrong
Economies are actually massive, difficult issues, and our understanding of them, even on the most conventional of occasions, is partial and restricted.
Michela Tindera
That’s the FT’s US monetary commentator Rob Armstrong.
Robert Armstrong
It’s exhausting to know what simply occurred within the economic system so removed from figuring out what is going on or what’s going to occur. Oftentimes, we solely know we’ve gone right into a recession months and even years after the very fact.
Michela Tindera
Historically, economists, analysts and journalists like Rob would be taught in regards to the economic system by learning totally different varieties of information. They take a look at issues like US employment, the manufacturing sector and housing. However these days, these types of indicators have been sending combined messages. Some appear to be the economic system’s in a foul place, whereas others present an economic system on the rise. However there’s one place that Rob says we will discover some readability.
Robert Armstrong
We take a look at kind of macro statistics on a regular basis which are taken from a mile up. However an organization tells you what’s truly taking place. Is there nice demand for homes or loans or one thing else? So it is among the most direct home windows into the economic system that now we have.
Michela Tindera
Final week, the most important banks within the US opened up that window and reported their second-quarter earnings.
Robert Armstrong
They supply a glance into the monetary well being of customers and of companies in a really, very highly effective manner. Tens of hundreds of thousands of households have a debit card with Financial institution of America or Chase or Citi. And, you already know, many 1000’s of companies borrow cash from them. So to listen to how these households are spending their cash and the way these companies are doing, financial institution earnings are a fantastic place to start out.
Michela Tindera
So there are just a few home windows we will strive to take a look at to know what’s taking place with the US economic system. However which one provides us the clearest image?
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I’m Michela Tindera from the Monetary Occasions. It’s exhausting to decipher precisely what’s taking place with the US economic system proper now. Are we headed in the direction of a recession or not? Right now on Behind the Cash, we’re gonna discuss via what the newest information from banks tells us and what which may show in regards to the broader US economic system.
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Hello, Rob. Welcome again to the present.
Robert Armstrong
It’s nice to be right here.
Michela Tindera
So when economists are on the lookout for indicators of a possible recession, they’re analysing all totally different varieties of information which are often called main indicators. Are you able to give some examples of what persons are sometimes taking a look at and why they’re not likely proving to be so helpful proper now?
Robert Armstrong
An excellent main indicator is often housing begins or housing permits. There’s an outdated phrase within the financial punditry enterprise, which is, “The housing cycle is the financial cycle,” as a result of housing may be very up and down. Individuals construct loads of homes after which there’s too many after which they cease and costs go up, you already know, et cetera.
Michela Tindera
Yeah. After which clearly, the monetary disaster, that’s . . . (inaudible) instance of that.
Robert Armstrong
Sure. You noticed what . . . Precisely.
Robert Armstrong
So usually we’d say, what are housing begins telling us? What are purposes for constructing housing telling us? However what’s bizarre proper now could be as a result of rates of interest have all of a sudden gone up and home costs have wobbled, no one needs to promote their present home. Everybody seems like this can be a horrible time to purchase a home. I’m not promoting right into a weak market. So more and more, the one sport on the town if you wish to purchase a home is to purchase a newly constructed home. So the housing trade is booming, the housebuilding trade. However which will solely be ‘trigger the present home market is sort of paralysed by the change in charges. So we’re getting distorted messages from that sign as properly.
Let me discuss one different indicator that’s often fairly an excellent main indicator, however now is likely to be sending a little bit of a distorted message: hours labored. So . . .
Michela Tindera
Who tracks that?
Robert Armstrong
That’s the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Michela Tindera
OK. OK.
Robert Armstrong
And so the rationale that is good main indicator is earlier than an organization that’s feeling notably good hires one other employee, they are going to inform their present batch of staff to place in just a few extra hours. They’ll begin to provide extra time. And equally, when corporations are pinched, earlier than they hearth anybody, they are going to lower hours again as a result of no one likes to . . . it’s very everlasting firing somebody. You need to make changes. So the primary indicator, an early indicator of hassle is likely to be changes in hours labored. And now we have, in latest months, now we have seen hours labored coming down.
Michela Tindera
Mm-hmm. And what does that sign?
Robert Armstrong
That may be signalling that, wow, is the economic system weakening a bit on the periphery right here? Proper? As a result of corporations are, you already know, they’re not firing anyone, however they’re saying, they’re not giving them extra time, that’s for positive. However the query is that quantity is simply coming down, however sort of, once more, in the direction of pre-pandemic ranges. So what’s taking place? Are corporations now hesitating to fireplace individuals as a result of they’ve a reminiscence of the pandemic occasions after they couldn’t discover sufficient staff? Or are they really saying, man, you already know, issues aren’t fairly so good, let’s dial it again. The phenomenon I’m speaking about right here is one thing referred to as labour hoarding — that you simply need to maintain entry to staff even when you possibly can’t essentially use them that a lot. And there could also be extra labour hoarding due to recollections of a few years in the past.
Michela Tindera
OK. Are there some other indicators that you simply sometimes deal with?
Robert Armstrong
Lots of these should do with manufacturing, proper? If a producer is hiring now, which means it’s gonna ramp up manufacturing and gross sales will go up later. Proper? So should you see new orders of producing gear or new hires by producers, that’s like, OK, possibly in six months, eight months, issues are gonna be actually good. The alerts from the manufacturing trade aren’t excellent in America proper now. However we don’t actually know how one can learn that as a result of should you bear in mind, throughout the pandemic, we have been all sitting at dwelling ordering Pelotons and air fryers and yoga mats and et cetera. Now all we would like is companies as a result of now we have all of the Pelotons and air fryers and yoga mats we may probably need. And so now there was this type of shock in how we’re spending our cash. So usually, the numbers popping out of the manufacturing industries in America may fear you, however now you’re like, properly, possibly that is only a blip and over time this can simply even out.
Michela Tindera
OK, so these examples of the symptoms you shared — hours labored, manufacturing information, housing permits — they’re proving to be a bit wonky at the moment second. However now inform me about what you noticed taking a look at financial institution earnings just lately. Why are they helpful?
Robert Armstrong
The very largest banks in America are JPMorgan Chase, Financial institution of America, Citibank, and Wells Fargo. And we care about what they are saying as a result of they’re so giant they usually have so many shoppers, each enterprise prospects and shopper prospects. So they offer you this snapshot that goes from Massachusetts to California, many, many households, many various sorts of loans. In order a sort of macro image, it’s actually very helpful.
Michela Tindera
Mmm. So what’s been your largest takeaway, wanting over these earnings studies?
Robert Armstrong
It’s a very exhausting factor for a monetary journalist to say, however issues appear to be wonderful. I say with deep remorse . . .
Michela Tindera
So optimistic! (Laughter)
Robert Armstrong
(Laughter) I say with deep remorse that issues are wonderful.
Michela Tindera
So how are you aware that? What about banks earnings confirmed you that?
Robert Armstrong
Once I take into consideration financial institution earnings, I take into consideration three indicators they offer us that mirror on the well being of the system typically. There’s the spending developments that banks find out about as a result of now we have all our debit and bank cards with them. There’s the borrowing developments and specifically, unhealthy debt developments. Who’s getting in hassle, companies or customers, with the cash they owe and their capacity to pay it again? And eventually, the well being of the banks themselves. A wholesome economic system wants a monetary system that’s working properly and never wobbling. And so if banks themselves are struggling to make revenue, that isn’t an excellent signal for the system typically.
Michela Tindera
OK. So shopper spending, debt and financial institution well being are the three areas you’re zeroing in on while you’re taking a look at banks earnings. So let’s begin by speaking about financial institution well being. A number of months in the past, you may do not forget that I needed to name you up on very brief discover to return on this present. Yeah, do you bear in mind why I did that?
Robert Armstrong
Sure, as a result of banks have been falling off the bed at the moment, beginning with Silicon Valley Financial institution, and First Republic acquired in hassle. And so there was a second when it seemed like we would have a banking disaster on our arms.
Michela Tindera
Yeah. Yeah. And so Silicon Valley Financial institution collapsed over the weekend. And we talked that Monday. So truly sort of on the very starting of a few of that chaos. However . . .
Robert Armstrong
I actually hope I mentioned one thing sensible. I hope that that is all a lead-in to be seen extremely prescient and clever. (Laughter)
Michela Tindera
I used to be gonna ask should you bear in mind what you . . . You left us with a sure message.
Robert Armstrong
I bear in mind, I solely bear in mind the sensible issues that I’ve mentioned in my previous. I’ve a really selective reminiscence and I’m thinking-slash-hoping that I mentioned that the issues at Silicon Valley have been largely gonna keep remoted with that financial institution, that it isn’t a systemic drawback. Please inform me that is what I mentioned.
Michela Tindera
So . . . so in three phrases, you left us on the finish of our present, you mentioned, “Don’t panic.”
Robert Armstrong
Hooray! (Laughter)
Michela Tindera
Wiping my forehead right here.
Robert Armstrong
Good.
Michela Tindera
So . . . however within the quick aftermath of SVB collapsing, issues have been somewhat panicky . . .
Robert Armstrong
Sure.
Michela Tindera
. . . for a bit. We had the collapse of First Republic Financial institution, the collapse of Signature Financial institution, after which across the identical time, that was when the Swiss authorities ordered UBS to take over Credit score Suisse. Lots of stuff was taking place there. However, you already know, since then there hasn’t been a lot else. And so that’s the reason I need to ask you, what are these financial institution earnings telling us?
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Robert Armstrong
OK. So again in March, should you needed to describe one most essential explanation for what occurred to these banks is it needed to do with asset legal responsibility mismatch. And what occurred again then was we came upon that this small handful of American banks had actually failed in that capability. They’d not ready for the truth that rates of interest change and their property and their liabilities have been poorly matched. What we came upon within the subsequent months is that almost all American banks haven’t made those self same errors or not made them to the identical diploma. So it’s been actually hanging within the final simply week or so to see the opposite banks that folks have been most anxious about. So I’m fascinated about, there’s a financial institution referred to as Key and there’s one other referred to as Zions, and there’s one referred to as Comerica. And all these banks seemed somewhat bit like Silicon Valley Financial institution. They’d loads of debt securities on their steadiness sheet or they’d loads of unsecured deposits or, et cetera et cetera. These banks have been rallying. They’re not again to the place they have been in March, however traders are beginning to breathe that massive sigh of reduction in regards to the banks they have been most anxious about again in March.
Michela Tindera
So shifting past the well being of the banks themselves, let’s discuss one other space we’re taking a look at inside banks earnings: shopper spending. What did you see and be taught there?
Robert Armstrong
Any individual like Financial institution of America or Chase has in actual time all the info about what all their prospects as a gaggle are doing with their credit score and debit playing cards. And shopper spending continues to carry up. Debit and bank card use of each Financial institution of America and JPMorgan Chase was sort of within the higher 5 per cent-ish vary versus the 12 months earlier than. There was like this unbelievable frenzy, proper, like 2021. Proper? We had simply gotten out of lockdown and we have been spending like loopy. And the concern was that there was this mad spike up and there can be this wretched trench afterwards. However as a substitute, what we’ve seen is a delicate deceleration to a standard tempo of spending, which is admittedly what you need to see in a scenario like this. In order that’s level primary.
Level quantity two, and possibly extra essential as a forward-looking indicator of the well being of the economic system is debtors, shopper and companies, are they in a position to pay their loans again? So are we as a rustic falling behind on our bank cards? Are enterprise loans going into delinquency after which default?
Michela Tindera
Yeah, positive. So what did the banks earnings inform you about that?
Robert Armstrong
The reply is kind of delicate right here. So what we’ve seen this quarter and certainly within the final couple of quarters is that delinquency and default and mortgage write-offs and stuff like which are rising. So should you’re wanting on the pattern, you may get somewhat anxious. However . . .
Michela Tindera
Yeah, that doesn’t sound nice.
Robert Armstrong
That doesn’t sound nice. And it isn’t nice, nevertheless it’s not as unhealthy because it sounds. And I’ll inform you why. Through the pandemic, it’s a must to bear in mind there have been all these emergency authorities applications in place that made it very, very exhausting to fall behind on or default in your loans, each for customers and companies. So mainly, the credit score cycle in America went right into a sort of deep freeze throughout the pandemic. And what we’re seeing with these will increase in losses or writedowns or no matter metric you need to use, is the credit score cycle slowly waking up from its medically induced coma, which the federal government put it in. And though the will increase are massive, loans in hassle, the extent of loans in hassle is definitely decrease than it was earlier than the pandemic began. In order that’s why we heard this phrase “normalisation” a lot within the banks’ conversations with analysts and traders. They mentioned we’re getting again to regular. And the query that was put to them is when are we gonna be regular? And there was loads of solutions like, possibly by the, you already know, early subsequent 12 months, finish of this 12 months, we will likely be at default ranges which are comparable, which are sort of traditionally regular.
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Michela Tindera
Mm-hmm. In order that’s what financial institution earnings are telling us, basically, that by wanting on the well being of the banks themselves and these home windows into shopper spending and borrowing, the US economic system is wanting not half unhealthy.
Robert Armstrong
So the overall message is lots of the indicators or metrics we rely on as observers of the economic system are simply exhausting to learn proper now.
Michela Tindera
Yeah.
Robert Armstrong
Which is why I like taking a look at it specifi- . . . , the buyer spending and the credit score high quality indicators out of banks, they . . . I believe these are sending us a fairly uninterrupted sign. And it’s a fairly reassuring one.
Michela Tindera
Yeah.
Robert Armstrong
I imply, I believe financial institution earnings are a fantastic financial indicator, a robust financial indicator. And the message we’re getting there’s very sound. However with lots of the issues, the symptoms or the metrics we often look to to gauge the financial outlook for the months forward, they’re nonetheless distorted by the pandemic we simply went via.
Michela Tindera
Yeah. So do you suppose that Jerome Powell ought to simply be sitting wanting over financial institution earnings to determine what to do with charges going ahead?
Robert Armstrong
Nicely . . . I’ve . . . I believe, you already know, I believe that they take a look at all the pieces. Proper? They usually’re . . . they’re dealing with the identical puzzles all people else is questioning about. I believe they’re most likely immensely happy and relieved that the June inflation report was as benign because it was. However what they’re anxious about, truly, is that, if something, is that the American shopper and family are somewhat too sturdy. Employment continues to be very excessive, wages are nonetheless rising round 5 per cent, so probably above the speed of inflation. If something, they’re like, is the economic system working heat sufficient to perpetuate inflation longer than we would like? So although inflation has gone from nine-ish to three-ish headline inflation, they’re attempting to get it to 2 they usually’re sitting taking a look at shopper spending, wages, employment ranges and pondering, is that this gonna maintain inflation at three to 4, which they don’t need. Possibly we may dwell with three to 4. But it surely says proper there of their rule guide, Thou shalt intention for 2 per cent.
Michela Tindera
Mm-hmm. Yeah. So the place do you see this going?
Robert Armstrong
Phew! Now, now you’re . . . Now you’re asking me to get out a crystal ball. The central financial institution raised rates of interest 500 foundation factors, 5 share factors in very speedy order. We are able to’t rule out the likelihood that that’s gonna have a delayed impact on the economic system over time. So traditionally, it’s been very troublesome for central banks to get the timing of this factor proper. And so there’s a likelihood that within the coming two or three quarters, the very good progress story that now we have in America will decelerate. It’s important to be alert to that risk simply because traditionally that’s what’s occurred when central banks have executed the sort of factor the US central financial institution simply did.
If now we have a fear, and I’m not saying now we have a fear however I’m a monetary journalist and it’s my job to fret about issues, and the large fear is that exercise continues to be sturdy sufficient that for all of the progress now we have made towards inflation, the ultimate progress we have to make will slip out of our grasp. It’ll be exhausting to get the ultimate little bit of the job executed on inflation.
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Michela Tindera
Nicely, Rob, thanks for becoming a member of me. We’ll should have you ever again on the present later this 12 months to see how your newest predictions turned out.
Robert Armstrong
Thanks for having me.
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Michela Tindera
Thanks for listening. Should you’d like to listen to extra from this week’s visitor, Rob Armstrong, you’ll find him on the FT’s latest podcast all about markets. It’s referred to as Unhedged, and you’ll find it wherever you hearken to podcasts. Additionally, if you wish to learn extra from the FT on what we talked about throughout this week’s episode, the articles linked in our present notes are free to learn proper now.
Behind the Cash is hosted by me, Michela Tindera. Saffeya Ahmed is our producer. Topher Forhecz is our government producer. Sound design and mixing by Sam Giovinco. Cheryl Brumley is the worldwide head of audio. See you subsequent week.
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