US economy

US sees manufacturing growth ahead of Fed meeting, GDP data

Agence France-Presse

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US sees manufacturing growth ahead of Fed meeting, GDP data

People wearing masks visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California June 30, 2020. - Due to a spike in coronavirus cases California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of bars in Los Angeles and six other California counties in order to stem the spike. Los Angeles County reported 2,779 new COVID-19 cases on June 30, just short of the single-day record of 2,903 set on June 29. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

AFP

Some sectors in the United States are bouncing back, but surging coronavirus cases could hamper the recovery

The Federal Reserve is set to meet this week ahead of a key gross domestic product (GDP) estimate as new data shows recovery in United States manufacturing, although surging coronavirus cases threaten the economy’s gains.

The jam-packed week of economic news comes as lawmakers in Washington debate provisions of another stimulus package to follow up on the $2.2-trillion CARES Act passed in March as COVID-19 hit.

The business shutdowns caused by the pandemic are expected to see the US economy shrink an unprecedented 35% in the April-June quarter when the Commerce Department releases its advance GDP estimate on Thursday, July 30.

However, some sectors have begun bouncing back, with retail and new home sales recovering from the coronavirus hit and data from the Commerce Department released on Monday, July 27, showing durable goods orders rising 7.3% on demand for transportation equipment.

But Oxford Economics warned that the prevalence of the coronavirus in the US, where more than 57,000 new cases were reported in the 24 hours to Monday, threatens the gains.

“The sugar rush from reopenings has now faded and a resurgence of domestic coronavirus cases, alongside very weak demand, supply chain disruptions, historically low oil prices, and high levels of uncertainty will weigh heavily on business investment,” Oxford Economics said.

An uneventful meeting

Amid the durable goods data, transportation equipment grew 20% or $9.2 billion, particularly among motor vehicles and parts, where new orders were up 85.7% and shipments rose 83.1%.

In a sign of Boeing’s continued struggles, new orders for non-defense aircraft slumped 462.3%, deep into negative territory, as customers canceled orders previously placed with the plane maker.

The Fed will likely take such indicators into account as it begins its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, July 28, but few big moves are expected since the committee had already slashed its benchmark lending rate to zero in mid-March.

If Fed boss Jerome Powell addresses the surge in COVID-19 cases, he will likely reiterate “that the Fed is prepared if necessary to provide more support to the economy,” said Mickey Levy of Berenberg Capital Markets.

Another possibility is that the Fed might link its movement of the lending rate to inflation, Oxford Economics said.

Inflation rose 0.6% in June but is expected to stay low with COVID-19 hampering consumer demand, particularly with new claims for unemployment benefits still high. 

The Labor Department reported nearly 1.42 million claims in the week ended July 18.

A historic plunge

Laid-off Americans have benefited from an additional $600 in aid each week under the terms of the CARES Act, but that money is set to expire on Friday, July 31, and Democrats and Republicans in Congress are negotiating over possibly extending it.

Analysts expect them to enact more stimulus, but it is not clear yet how it will be structured or if the funds will be approved before the emergency unemployment benefits run out.

Senate Republicans on Monday evening unveiled a $1-trillion package that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said was a “realistic” proposal for what would be “appropriate” to add to the country’s debt.

The bill would provide for a second round of stimulus checks and another batch of loans under the Paycheck Protection Program.

The measure was almost immediately slammed by conservative lawmakers as too expensive and by Democrats as falling short of what Americans need to weather the economic crisis.

Citing people familiar with the plan, The Washington Post reported Republicans, who control the Senate, also want to slash the weekly benefit to $200 until states can implement a system to replace 70% of unemployed workers’ wages.

Washington is simultaneously bracing for the expected crash in 2nd quarter GDP to a level not seen in years, but the damage will be somewhat stemmed by a recovery in goods and services in May ahead of a bounceback in the months to come, IHS Markit said in an analysis.

“Our forecast of 18.2% growth in the 3rd quarter reflects continued (but slowing) recovery in services GDP and a partial reversal in goods GDP of gains exhibited over May and June,” they said.

A National Association for Business Economics survey released on Monday reported firms expecting improvements in sales, profit margins, and employment after the shutdowns.

But while a third of companies have returned to normal operations, nearly the same amount do not expect to do so for more than 6 months, the survey said.

On top of this week’s data releases will be a slew of earnings reports by large American firms, including tech leaders Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google, as well as McDonald’s, ExxonMobil, and Boeing. – Rappler.com

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