Haver Analytics
Haver Analytics

Economy in Brief

    • Price index held in check by slower gains in services prices.
    • Real spending reverses December rise.
    • Disposable income surges and savings rate jumps.
    • Deepening in goods trade deficit after December’s widening.
    • Exports rise 2.0% m/m vs. a 3.8% December drop, led by a 10.9% rebound in exports of consumer goods ex-autos.
    • Imports, up in all end-use categories, jump 11.9%, the largest m/m increase since July ’20 to a record level, led by a record 32.7% surge in imports of industrial supplies & materials.
  • French inflation trends alone among the largest four EMU economies is showing a break lower. Twelve-month inflation across the EMU is however quite mixed with Germany and Spain knocking on the door of 3% inflation while France is below 1% and Italy is below 2%.

    And the divergences diverge further from there...

    German inflation rises from 2.8% over 12 months to a 3.3% pace over six months to 4.1% over three months – a classic ongoing acceleration. Spain’s 12-month pace of 2.9% also steps up to 4.5% annualized over six months then explodes to 5.7% over three months. The accelerations are not good for central bank trying to hit a 2% inflation goal.

    But the accelerations are counterbalanced by some moderation and even weakness. French inflation decelerates steadily, and prices actually decline over six months and three months. For Italy, the 12-month pace of 1.7%, steps back to 1.3% over six months, then rises back to a 3% annual rate over three months.

    Even so, the best news is from Italy and Spain on the measure of core inflation. Each of them reports a steady menu of inflation rates over 12 months, six months, and three months below 2% and decelerating. This is notable because both Italy and Spain have badly behaving headline inflation trends.

    However, energy prices are moving up, too, over the last three months as well as sequentially.

    While inflation is still far from well-behaved, it may still be slowing. Signs of conforming Italian and Spanish core results are the most encouraging news. Still, over the past five years, inflation has averaged 3.2% in France and 4.4% in Germany, with Italy and Spain seeing inflation at the 3.7% to 3.8% mark. Core inflation over five years, however, has been lower and closer to the 2% goal at 2.5% in France, 2.8% in Italy, 3.2% in Spain, and 3.6% in Germany. Still, it’s not there but it is closer.

  • The global economy remains fragile, with financial markets showing resilience despite persistent policy uncertainties, geopolitical risks, and uneven growth. Investors have largely adopted a wait-and-see approach, balancing inflationary pressures and rising US trade protectionism against looser monetary policy and optimism about AI-driven productivity gains. This week’s charts highlight the growing complexities in global trade and economic policy, where traditional tools, such as tariffs, could be increasingly misaligned with economic realities. Recent US survey data, for instance, indicate a sharp rise in inflation expectations, likely fuelled by concerns over tariffs, which have simultaneously weighed on consumer confidence (chart 1). Meanwhile, latest US trade figures reveal a record deficit in goods trade alongside a widening surplus in services trade, further emphasizing why tariffs alone are unlikely to correct trade imbalances (chart 2). At the same time, shifts in US trade policy have coincided with near-record highs in global economic policy uncertainty. By dampening business and consumer confidence, this could weaken US export demand, complicating the intended effects of trade restrictions. Another dynamic is unfolding in Europe, where geopolitical tensions are prompting governments to increase defence spending, introducing yet another layer of uncertainty into the macroeconomic outlook (chart 4). In short, downside risks to global growth are mounting. Sector-specific and country-level risk indicators, such as those provided by our data partner Dun and Bradstreet, and which capture these underlying pressures, will certainly be useful for monitoring broader economic risks in the months ahead (charts 5 and 6).

    • Sales decline to record low.
    • Home sales fall across much of country.
    • Inventory drag on economic growth remains largest in almost two years; net exports add minimally to growth.
    • Sharp gain in consumer spending growth is unrevised while business investment declines.
    • Price index gain is revised up.
    • New orders excluding aircraft were flat in January.
    • But bookings for nondefense capital goods other than aircraft are perhaps picking up.
    • Weekly increase somewhat larger than forecast.
    • Insured unemployment rate holds at 1.2%, same since late 2023.