Trade deficit – What We Learned About the U.S. Economy Last Week

Hiring Picks Up, Trade Deficit Narrows: July 3 – 7

July 8, 2017July 8, 2017Kevin Roth

The labor market rebounded in June with accelerated hiring in health/social assistance and leisure/hospitality. Here are the five things we learned from U.S. economic data released during the week ending July 7.

Employers picked up hiring activity during June. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates nonfarm payrolls expanded during June by a seasonally adjusted 222,000, the best month for job creation since February. Further, the BLS upwardly revised its April and May employment estimates by a combined 47,000 jobs to +207,000 and +152,000, respectively. Private sector payrolls grew during June by 187,000 while government employers added 35,000 jobs. Private sector industries enjoying the largest payroll gains during the month were health care/social assistance (+59,100), leisure/hospitality (+36,000), professional/business services (+35,000), financial activities (+17,000), and construction (+16,000). Retailers added 8,100 workers following declines in April and May. The average work week grew by 1/10^th of an hour to 34.5 hours (June 2016: 34.4 hours) with average weekly earnings up 2.8 percent from a year earlier to $905.63.

Based on a separate survey of households, the unemployment rate edged up by 1/10^th of a percentage point to 4.4 percent. This was a half point below the year ago unemployment rate of 4.9 percent, leaving it near its post-recession low point. 361,000 people entered the labor force during the month, resulting in a 1/10^th of a percentage point gain in the labor force participation rate to 62.8 percent. The median length of unemployment fell by 8/10^ths of a week to 9.6 weeks (June 2016: 10.2 weeks). While the number of part-time workers seeking a full-time opportunity (“involuntary” part-time workers) increased by 107,000 during June, it was still 8.5 percent below the count of a year earlier. Finally, the broadest measure of labor underutilization (the “U6” series) increased 2/10^ths of a percentage point to 8.6 percent, a full percentage point below the measure’s year-ago reading.

The trade deficit narrowed during May. The Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis report exports grew by $0.9 billion during the month to $192.0 billion (+5.4 percent vs. May 2016) while imports narrowed by $0.2 billion to $238.5 billion (+6.6 percent vs. May 2016). This left the trade deficit at $46.5 billion, $1.1 billion smaller than that of April but up 12.0 percent over the past year. The goods deficit contracted by $0.9 billion to -$67.5 billion while the goods surplus widened by $0.2 billion to +$21.0 billion. Exports grew during the month for automotive vehicles (+$0.6 billion) and cell phones/other household goods (+$0.5 billion) but slowed for soybeans (-$0.6 billion). Imports fell for consumer goods (-$1.5 billion, including -$0.9 billion for cell phones), automotive vehicles (-$0.7 billion), but grew by $1.3 billion for capital goods. The trade deficit for the first five months of 2017 was 13.1 percent larger than that of 2016, the result of exports growing 6.0 percent and imports expanding 7.3 percent.

The decline in new factory orders accelerated in May. The Census Bureau reports that new orders for manufactured goods fell 0.8 percent during the month following a 0.3 percent drop in April. The resulting seasonally adjusted value of new orders of $464.9 billion was up 4.2 percent from a year earlier. Both durable and nondurable goods orders slowed by a similar 0.8 percent rate while those of nondefense, nonaircraft capital goods (a measure of business investment) edged up 0.2 percent. Shipments grew for the fifth time in six months with a 0.1 percent increase to $471.5 billion. Durable goods shipments rose 1.0 percent while nondurable goods shipments slowed 0.8 percent. Unfilled order shrank 0.2 percent to $1.120 trillion while inventories contracted 0.1 percent to $648.9 billion.

Purchasing managers report that both manufacturing and service sector business activity grew during June. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from the Institute for Supply Management gained 2.9 points during June to a seasonally adjusted 57.8. This was the 10^th straight month in which the measure was above a reading of 50.0, indicative of an expanding manufacturing sector. Four of five PMI components improved during the month: production (up 5.3 points to 62.4), new orders (up 4.0 points to 63.5), supplier deliveries (up 3.7 points to 57.2), and employment (up 3.7 points to 57.2). The index tracking inventories shed 2.5 points to a contractionary reading of 49.0. Fifteen of 18 tracked manufacturing industry segments expanded during the month, led by furniture, nonmetallic mineral productions, and paper products. The press release indicated that survey respondent comments noted “expanding business” but that “supplier deliveries and inventories [were] struggling to keep up with the production pace.”

The ISM’s measure of nonmanufacturing economic activity added a half point during June to 57.4, the 90^th consecutive month in which the NMI was above a reading of 50.0. Three of four index components improved from their June marks: new orders (up 2.8 points to 60.5), supplier deliveries (up a full point to 52.5), and business activity/production (up 1/10^th of a point to 60.8). The employment index shed two full points to 57.8. Sixteen of 18 tracked service sector industries expanded during June, led by agriculture, wholesale trade, management of companies/support. The press release said that the “majority of respondents’ comments are positive about business conditions and the overall economy.”

Vehicle sales continued to slacken in June. Per automaker sales data compiled by Autodata, the seasonally adjusted annualized rate of vehicle sales was below 17 million units for a fourth straight month. The annualized sales rate of 16.50 million vehicles was down 1.0 percent from May and 1.8 percent from a year earlier. Car sales continued to slump, dropping 4.7 percent during the month and 13.2 percent from June 2016 to an annualized rate of 5.91 million vehicles. Light truck/SUV sales inched up 1.3 percent during June to an annualized rate of 10.60 million vehicles. This was 5.8 percent above light truck/SUV sales of a year earlier

Other U.S. economic data released over the past week:
– Jobless Claims (week ending July 1, 2017, First-Time Claims, seasonally adjusted): 248,000 +4,000 vs. previous week; -11,000 vs. the same week a year earlier). 4-week moving average: 243,000 (-8.4% vs. the same week a year earlier).
– Construction Spending (May 2017, Value of Construction Put in Place, seasonally adjusted annual rate): $1.230 trillion (unchanged vs. April 2017, +4.5% vs. May 2016).
– FOMC minutes

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Kevin’s current and previous employers. No endorsements are implied.

The Unemployment Rate Falls to a 16-Year Low: May 29 – June 2

June 2, 2017June 2, 2017Kevin Roth

The last time the unemployment rate was this low, it was 2001. But the pace of job creation during May was relatively modest. Here are the 5 things we learned from U.S. economic data released during the week ending June 2.

The unemployment rate fell to a 16-year low, but employers slowed the pace of hiring. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nonfarm employers added a seasonally adjusted 138,000 workers to their payrolls during the month, down from April’s job gain of 174,000 jobs but well above the 50,000 added workers during March. If the job openings and turnover data released in recent months are any indication, some of the weakness in this report may be due to employers being unable to find qualified candidates for their openings. Whatever the case, the private sector saw payrolls expand by 147,000 workers, with the gain split between 131,000 new jobs in the service sector and 16,000 new workers in the service sector. Industries most responsible for the month’s job creation were professional/business services (+38,000), health care/social assistance (+32,300), leisure/hospitality (+31,000), construction (+11,000), and financial activities (+11,000). The average workweek was at 34.4 hours, unchanged from both April 2017 and May 2016. Average weekly earnings grew by $1.38 during the month to $901.97 (+2.5 percent vs. May 2016).

Based on a separate survey of households, the unemployment rate slipped 1/10^th of a percentage point to 4.3 percent, its lowest point since May 2001. This was partially the result of 429,000 people leaving the labor force during the month to 159.784 million. The labor force participation rate declined by 2/10^ths of a percentage point to 62.7 percent. This places the labor force participation rate closer to its multi-decade low, but that is explained partially by older Americans leaving the labor force due to retirement. Even though the typical length of unemployment edged up by 2/10^ths of a week to 10.4 weeks, the measure has remained within a tight range between 10.0 and 10.4 weeks since last summer. The same survey also found that the count of “involuntary” part-time workers contracted by 53,000 to 5.219 million (May 2016: 6.409 million). Finally, the broadest definition of labor underutilization (the U-6 series) fell to its lowest reading since November 2007 with a 2/10^ths decline to 8.4 percent.

Consumers were spending money during April. “Real” personal consumption expenditures (PCE) grew by 0.2 percent during the month, which had followed a 0.5 percent gain during March and a 0.1 decline in February. Per the Bureau of Economic Analysis, real spending on goods jumped 0.7 percent during April, split between a 1.1 percent surge in spending on durable goods and a 0.5 percent increase in spending of nondurables. Services spending was virtually unchanged for the month. Over the past year, real PCE has grown a moderate 2.6 percent, with spending on goods gaining 3.6 percent and spending services increasing 2.1 percent. Without adjusting for price variations, nominal PCE rose 0.4 percent, its biggest single-month increase since last December. Supporting the gain in spending was a 0.4 percent increase in both personal and disposable income. After adjusting for inflation, real disposable income increased 0.2 percent during April and has grown 1.9 percent over the past year. Meanwhile, the savings rate held steady at +5.3 percent for a third consecutive month.

The trade deficit widened to a four-month high during April. The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates exports dropped by $0.5 billion during the month to a seasonally adjusted $191.0 billion (+5.0 percent vs. April 2016) while imports grew by $1.9 billion to $238.6 billion (+8.3 percent vs. April 2016). As a result, the seasonally adjusted trade deficit expanded by $2.3 billion to -$47.6 billion, which was 23.9 percent larger than the deficit of a year earlier. The goods deficit grew by $2.3 billion to $68.4 billion (+16.1 percent vs. April 2016) while the goods surplus held steady at +$20.8 billion (+1.4 percent vs. April 2016). The former increased as imported goods grew by $1.8 billion (thanks to greater imports of cell phones, art/collectibles, and capital goods) and exported goods slipped by $0.4 billion (thanks to smaller exports for consumer goods and automotive vehicles). The U.S. had its largest goods deficits with China (-$32.1 billion), the European Union (-$13.2 billion), Mexico (-$6.4 billion), and Germany (-$5.5 billion).

Purchasing managers indicate that manufacturing held steady during May. The Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) inched up 1/10^th of a point to a seasonally adjusted reading of 54.9. This was the ninth straight month in which the measure was above a reading of 50.0, indicative of an expanding manufacturing sector. Three of five PMI components improved during the month: new orders (up 2.0 points to 59.5), employment (up 1.5 points to 53.5), and inventories (up a half point to 51.5). Falling were measures of supplier deliveries (down 2.0 points to 53.1) and production (off 1.5 points to 57.1). Fifteen of 18 tracked manufacturing industries expanded during May, led by nonmetallic mineral products, furniture, and plastics/rubber products. The press release noted the purchasing managers’ comments generally reflected “stable to growing business conditions.”

Survey results suggest a slight cooling of consumer sentiment. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confident Index declined for a second straight month as it lost 1.5 points to a seasonally adjusted reading of 117.9 (1985=100). The measure has lost 7.7 points since March (when it had hit a 16-plus year high) but nevertheless remained at strong levels. The current conditions index added edged up by 4/10^ths of a point to 140.7 while the expectations measure shed 2.8 points to 102.6. In all, 29.4 percent of survey respondents characterized current economic conditions as “good” (vs. 30.8 percent that said the same in April) while 13.7 percent stated that they were “bad” (unchanged from the percentage indicating the same in April). Slightly less hopeful was the short-term economic outlook: 21.3 percent of respondents expected business conditions would improve (April 2017: 25.1 percent) while 10.1 percent were expecting conditions to worsen (April 2017: 10.4 percent). The Conference Board in its press release said that even with the decline in overall sentiment, they expected “little change in overall economic conditions” as consumers “remain optimistic that the economy will continue expanding into the summer months.”

Other U.S. economic data released over the past week:
– Jobless Claims (week ending May 27, 2017, First-Time Claims, seasonally adjusted): 248,000 +13,000 vs. previous week; -20,000 vs. the same week a year earlier). 4-week moving average: 238,000 (-13.4% vs. the same week a year earlier).
– Vehicle Sales (May 2017, Light Vehicle Retail Sales, seasonally adjusted annualized rate): 16.66 million vehicles (-1.3% vs. April 2017, -3.0% vs. May 2016).
– Pending Home Sales (April 2017, Index (2001=100), seasonally adjusted): 109.8 (-1.5 points vs. March 2017, -3.8 points vs. April 2016).
– Construction Spending (April 2017, Value of Construction Put in Place, seasonally adjusted annualized rate): $1.219 trillion (-1.4% vs. March 2017, +6.7% vs. April 2016).
– Agricultural Prices (April 2017, Prices Received by Farmers (Index: 2011=100, seasonally adjusted): 96.7 (+2.0% vs. March 2017, +4.4% vs. April 2016).
– Case-Shiller Home Price Index (March 2017, 20-City Index, seasonally adjusted): +0.9% vs. February 2017, +5.9% vs. March 2016).
– Beige Book

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Kevin’s current and previous employers. No endorsements are implied.

Hiring Rebounds in April, The Fed Stays Put for Now: May 1 – 5

May 6, 2017June 2, 2017Kevin Roth

After pausing in March, employers picked up the pace of hiring in April. Here are the 5 things we learned from U.S. economic data released during the week ending May 5.

The labor market regained its momentum in April. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates nonfarm payrolls expanded by a seasonally adjusted 211,000 during the month, sharply up from the 79,000 net hires in March and much closer to February’s 232,000 job gain. Private sector employers added 194,000 jobs during April, split between 173,000 net hires in the service sector and 21,000 in the goods-producing sector of the economy. Industries with the biggest payroll gains included leisure/hospitality (+55,000), professional/business services (+39,000), health care/social assistance (+36,800), and financial services (+19,000). Even the retail sector, which had been shedding workers in recent months, manage to add 6,300 jobs during March. The average number of hours worked edged up by 1/10^th of an hour to 34.4 hours (April 2016: 34.4 hours) while average weekly earnings have grown 2.5 percent over the past year to $900.94.

A separate survey of household finds the unemployment rate dropping by 1/10^th of a percentage point to 4.4 percent, off 6/10^ths of a point from a year earlier and its lowest point in ten years. Only 12,000 people entered the labor force during the month while the labor force participation rate inched down by 1/10^th of a percentage point to 62.9 percent. The typical length of unemployment slipped 1/10^th of a week to 10.2 weeks (April 2016: 11.2 weeks). The count of part-time workers seeking a full-time job fell by 281,000 to another post-recession low of 5.272 million (April 2016: 5.970 million). Finally, the broadest measure of labor underutilization (the U-6 series) fell to post-recession low of 8.6 percent (down 3/10^ths of a percentage point from March and 1.1 percentage points from a year earlier). The U-6 measure had peaked during the last recession at 17.1 recent back in April 2010.

The Federal Reserve holds its short-term interest target rate, as expected, but does not appear concerned about recent weak economic data. The policy statement released following the conclusion of this week’s Federal Open Market Committee notes that economic activity had “slowed,” but also highlights that the labor market “continued to strengthen” including a comment that job gains were “solid.” Further, while household spending increased “only modestly,” the statement noted that “the fundamentals underpinning the continued growth of consumption remained solid.” Also, inflation was closing in on the Fed’s two-percent target rate. Finally, the statement noted that near-term risks to economic growth were “roughly balanced.” As a result, the committee voted unanimously to keep the fed funds target at between 0.75 percent and 1.00 percent, a rate that statement characterizes as being “accommodative.” Despite some recent weak economic data (the employment data above notwithstanding), the statement was largely unchanged from that following the March FOMC meeting. This would seem to suggest that the committee members appear to be ready for another bump in short-term rates at its next meeting at June.

The trade deficit was virtually unchanged even as both exports and imports slowed during March. Per the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, exports and imports each declined $1.7 billion during the month leaving the goods and services deficit at -$43.7 billion. The trade deficit for goods grew by $0.4 billion while the surplus in services grew by a matching $0.4 billion. Exports of goods contracted by $2.1 billion, pulled down by a $1.8 billion decline in exports of industrial supplies/materials and a $0.9 decrease in automotive vehicles. Imports of goods decreased by $1.7 billion resulting from falling imports of capital goods and industrial supplies/materials. The U.S. had its largest goods deficits with China (-$31.4 billion), the European Union (-$10.0 billion), Mexico (-$6.5 billion), Japan (-$6.5 billion), and Germany (-$5.0 billion).

Real personal spending grows for the first time in 2017 during March. The Bureau of Economic Analysis finds that “real” personal consumption expenditures (PCE) grew 0.3 percent during the month, following declines of 0.1 percent and 0.3 percent during February and January, respectively. Real spending on goods edged up 0.1 percent during the month as a 1.5 percent gain in spending of nondurable goods just outpaced the 2.5 percent drop in durables. Real spending on services grew 0.4 percent during March (although this partially reflects a weather-related increase in utility spending). Over the past year, real personal consumption expenditures have grown 1.8 percent, smaller than the +2.1 percent and +1.9 percent 12-month comparables reported for February and January, respectively. Without adjustments for inflation, nominal consumer spending was unchanged during March. Nominal personal income and disposable income both grew at a 0.2 percent rate during March (their smallest monthly gains since last November) while real disposable income jumped 0.5 percent. Real disposable income has grown 2.4 percent over the past year, its best 12-month comparable since last November. Meanwhile, the savings rate grew by 2/10^ths of a percentage point to +5.9 percent, its highest point since last August.

Construction Spending, particularly that for nonresident structures and in the public sector, slowed during March. The Census Bureau reports that the seasonally adjusted annualized rate of construction put in place slipped 0.2 percent during the month to $1.218 trillion. This was up 3.6 percent from a year earlier. Private sector construction spending was unchanged from February at $940.2 billion (SAAR), which was nevertheless 7.0 percent above that of March 2016. Private sector residential construction spending jumped 1.2% during the month, with much of the gain coming from a 2.0 percent bump in spending of new multi-family properties. Private sector non-residential spending declined 1.3 percent during March, pulled down by lower construction spending for the commercial, office, educational, religious, amusement/recreation, transportation, and power properties. Public construction spending declined 0.9 percent to a SAAR of $278.1 billion. This was off 6.5 percent from the same point a year earlier.

Other U.S. economic data released over the past week:
– Jobless Claims (week ending April 29, 2017, First-Time Claims, seasonally adjusted): 238,000 (-19,000 vs. previous week; -38,000 vs. the same week a year earlier). 4-week moving average: 243,000 (-7.6% vs. the same week a year earlier).
– Factory Orders (March 2017, New Orders for Manufactured Goods, seasonally adjusted): $478.2 billion (+0.2% vs. February 2017, +5.8% vs. March 2016).
– Vehicle Sales (April 2017, Vehicle Retail Sales, seasonally adjusted annualized rate): 16.88 million units (+1.6% vs. March 2017, -3.0% vs. April 2016.
– Productivity (1^st Quarter 2017-preliminary, Nonfarm Business Labor Productivity, seasonally adjusted): -0.6% vs. Q4 2016, +1.1% vs. Q1 2016.
– ISM Manufacturing Report on Business (April 2017, Purchasing Managers Index (>50=Growth in Manufacturing, seasonally adjusted): 54.8 (vs. March 2017: 54.8).
– ISM Nonmanufacturing Report on Business (April 2017, NMI (>50=Growth in Nonmanufacturing, seasonally adjusted): 57.5 (vs. March 2017: 55.2).
– Consumer Credit (March 2017, Outstanding Non-Real Estate Back Consumer Loan Balances, seasonally adjusted): $3.806 trillion (+$16.4 billion vs. February 2017, +6.0% vs. March 2016).

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Kevin’s current and previous employers. No endorsements are implied.

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