Last week when October’s jobs report was published, there was one particular data point that really jumped out. The average hourly earnings of private-sector employees jumped 2.5 percent year-over-year, to $25.20 (Chart 1). This was the fastest rate employee earnings … Continued
U.S. productivity continues to leave a lot to be desired, and that can have repercussions for corporate earnings. Non-farm output per hour grew a mere 0.26 percent year-over-year in the second quarter, down from 0.63 percent sequentially. Quarter-over-quarter, it rose … Continued
It has been a long wait… yet it keeps eluding. Six years into the current expansion, U.S. wages are yet to pick up speed. Yes, companies ranging from Wal-Mart (WMT) to Aetna (AET) to Starbucks (SBUX) to Target (TGT) have … Continued
U.S. wages stuck in mud, more so for supervised employees than for supervisory ECI for private sector has been trending higher since 1Q14; sustainable? Productivity crucial for employers’ ability to absorb wage hikes If there is one consistency in the … Continued
Subdued corporate capX now will adversely impact productivity later First time in 6 years, U.S. non-financials corporate capX exceeds internal funds Given new energy dynamics and impact on capX, too early to back-slap and high-five? U.S. corporations have not been … Continued
Below is one of the charts often used – this blog including – to validate expectations for imminent upward pressure on U.S. wages. It shows the correlation between year-over-year change in average hourly earnings of production and non-supervisory employees and … Continued
Stagnant wages thorn in U.S. recovery’s side WMT, TJX, AET, SBUX, GAP have announced plans to hike wages Be careful what we wish for, given elevated valuation and risk of margin compression? One of the things that have been a … Continued
Jan pickup in U.S. average hourly wages after Dec drop welcome relief Nevertheless, NFIB members’ comp plans tumble big time in January Loss of high-paying oil jobs will put downward pressure on wages One of the reasons January’s employment report … Continued
Setback in orders for business-capex proxy; down four consecutive months Inventory-to-order ratios, nowhere near previous peaks, trending higher Zero-bound suppressed rates probably impacting incentive to borrow The much-anticipated capex boom in the U.S. will just have to wait a while … Continued
As FOMC meets, markets will be looking for clues on rate-hike timing Consensus, which had been betting on mid-year hike, vacillating of late Lower-than-expected inflation, strong dollar excuses for Fed not to move The Federal Open Market Committee begins its … Continued