Summary
United States: The U.S. Avoids Default
- This week, Congress and the president prevented what would have been the first default in U.S. history by agreeing to suspend the debt ceiling through the end of 2024. Despite a bewildering jobs gain that defied market expectations, data on balance continued to suggest that economic activity is slowing, albeit gradually.
- Next week: ISM Services (Mon), Trade Balance (Wed)
International: Canadian Growth Rebounds, Eurozone Inflation Trends Lower
- The Canadian economy advanced at a 3.1% annualized rate in the first quarter of 2023, boosted by household spending and strong exports. Meanwhile, Eurozone CPI data showed that headline and core inflation slowed more than consensus expectations. The headline rate slowed to 6.1% year-over-year, while the core measure that excludes more volatile items, such as food and fuel, decelerated to 5.3%.
- Next week: RBA Policy Rate & Australia GDP (Tue/Wed), BoC Policy Rate (Wed), Mexico CPI (Thu)
Credit Market Insights: Beige Book May Be Flashing Red Lights in the Future
- The Federal Reserve System’s latest Beige Book showed that regional economies generally chugged along with little change over April and early May, but a slowdown is evident on the horizon, with some sectors already in decline.
Topic of the Week: The Mountains vs. Miami: Stacking Up the NBA and NHL Finalists
- This year’s NBA and NHL finals are a mirror matchup between a top-seeded team from the Mountain West and an underdog team from Miami. Shiny hardware and eternal glory aside, how are the local economies poised to benefit from the finals festivities?
