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  • Costs of Medical Procedures

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The chart below compares the price of different medical procedures across countries.

    Significant variability in the costs charged across countries for medical procedures
    Note: Data for 2019. Source: The International Federation of Health Plans (iFHP), Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Consumer Services Still Red Hot

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Weekly data shows that the number of people going to Broadway shows is rising and is now at 2019 levels, see chart below. Our collection of daily and weekly indicators for the US economy is available here.

    A Lot of People are Going to Broadway Shows
    Source: Internet Broadway Database, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • The S&P500 rises on average 15% in the 12 months after the Fed pauses, see chart below.

    Chart showing stock market performance after the Fed pauses interest rate hikes
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Core CPI Ex Housing is Rolling Over

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Not only is housing inflation rolling over in both the Zillow and Redfin data, but core CPI ex housing has been coming down and was actually negative in October, see chart below.

    A sharp slowdown in core CPI ex shelter combined with the ongoing downturn in the housing market increases the probability that inflation is coming down faster than the market is currently expecting. Which raises the likelihood that the Fed may soon be done with rate hikes.

    And note again that this decline in inflation is happening while at the same time the labor market is still strong and consumers have a lot of savings, see also my note yesterday. Maybe the Fed has raised rates enough and we don’t need a lot more demand destruction to get inflation down.

    The bottom line is that the likelihood of a soft landing is rising.

    Chart showing housing inflation is coming down fast
    Source: BLS, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Fed Sequencing Matters

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    With a 9-month lag between rents starting to come down until OER moves lower, we are getting closer to the peak in housing inflation, see chart below. The fact that inflation is coming down before we see any deterioration in the labor market is very important for markets and for the outlook for a soft landing. The Fed hitting the dual mandate with first a decline in inflation and then an increase in unemployment increases the likelihood of a soft landing. If we had first an increase in unemployment with inflation still going up, it would increase the probability of a hard landing because then we would need more demand destruction from the Fed. The bottom line is that the sequencing of how the Fed reaches its dual mandate is key for markets.

    Chart showing that we may be near the peak in housing inflation
    Source: Zillow, BLS, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • 51 Million Retirees in the US

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Early in the pandemic, a lot of people retired early. But the size of the retired population is now back at the pre-pandemic trend, see chart below.

    Chart showing the US retirement population in back at the pre-pandemic trend.
    Source: CPS IPUMS, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • High Wage Inflation Continues

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The labor force is currently 4 million below the pre-pandemic trend, see chart below. This is a high number when considering that the total number of unemployed is presently at 6 million. The bottom line is that it is difficult to find workers and the labor market remains tight, and the upward pressure on wages will likely continue.

    Chart showing the number of people in the labor force is still below pre-pandemic levels
    Source: BLS, Haver, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Households Moving Longer Distances

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Normally households move to another house within 15 miles from where they used to live. In 2022 the median distance between the home that recent buyers purchased and the home they moved from was 50 miles, see chart below. The increase is likely driven by covid and affordability considerations.

    Chart showing the median distances between buyers' new and old homes
    Source: NAR, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Supply Chains Normalizing

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Supply chains are normalizing, and the costs of transportation by ship, truck, and train, are coming down, see charts below. The only exception is air freight rates, they are still at $5.5 per kilo, up from $2.5 before the pandemic. Our collection of supply chain charts is attached. The bottom line is that supply chains are normalizing, which will continue to put downward pressure on inflation.

    Chart showing rates for various container routes
    Source: WCI, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Chart showing falling Chinese shipping costs
    Source: Shanghai Shipping Exchange, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Chart showing declines in various Baltic exchange indexes
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Chart showing falling transport rates for various types of trucks
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Chart showing falling semi transportation rates in various regions
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Chart showing air freight costs coming down
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Chart showing inventories and sales for wholesalers and retailers are returning to normal
    Source: Census, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Slowdown Watch: Europe Facing Significant Headwinds

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The difference between inflation in the US and Europe is noteworthy, see chart below.

    Europe is experiencing stagflation with high inflation and the economy in a recession.

    The US is seeing falling inflation and still solid growth.

    Our set of daily and weekly indicators is available here.

    US inflation is falling and European inflation keeps rising
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


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