U.S. Economic News

April 30, 2020

U.S. Economic Indicators

Initial jobless claims fell 603,000 to 3,839,000 last week. The four-week moving average fell 757,000 to 5,033,250. DOL Report

Real disposable personal income decreased 1.7% in March, while real personal consumption expenditures (PCE) fell 7.3%. The PCE price index fell 0.3% (up 1.3% Y/Y), and the core price index fell 0.1% (up 1.7% Y/Y). BEA Report

U.S. News

The Financial Times reports that the Federal Reserve warned of lasting medium-term economic damage to the U.S. economy at this week’s FOMC meeting, indicating that the Fed is prepared to make additional policy moves as necessary while stopping short of any major announcements. Fed chair Jay Powell cited three key risk factors guiding the Fed’s gloomier outlook: the unknown future trajectory of the virus, the potential loss of productive capacity as workers become disconnected from the labor force, and the global scope of the crisis.  FT