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The weekly data for office occupancy rates shows that New York City office use after Thanksgiving reached a post-pandemic high of 50% of capacity, see chart below. Our collection of daily and weekly indicators for the US economy is available here.
Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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As the Fed starts to approach the peak in the Fed funds rate, the market narrative is changing from “there is a high level of uncertainty about inflation and how high rates will go” to “inflation has peaked and we have a better idea about where rates will peak during this cycle,” see chart below. This ongoing transition in the market narrative has important consequences for rates, credit, and equity markets, including levels of implied and realized vol.
Source: Apollo Chief Economist See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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The Fed has clearly communicated that they want to downshift next week from 75bps to 50bps, and as we approach the peak in the Fed funds rate, we should begin to see capital markets reopen again, and in November there was a significant increase in investment grade refinancings and M&A/LBOs, see chart below.
Source: S&P LCD, Apollo Chief Economist See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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Our latest credit market outlook presentation is available here.
Source: LCD Comps, Apollo Chief Economist 
Source: ICE BofA, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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Wage inflation has a weight of 25% in the CPI basket via Services ex-energy ex-shelter. The transmission channel is that higher wages in consumer services such as restaurants and hotels increase the price of eating out and staying at hotels.
The impact of higher wage inflation on the remaining 75% of the CPI index is more complex, see chart below.
With wages having a limited weight in the CPI basket, it is entirely possible to have higher wage inflation for a period while consumer price inflation is coming down as supply chains get better, rent inflation declines, car price inflation declines etc. In other words, the 25% of the CPI basket that is directly impacted by wages may be rising while at the same time, inflation in the remaining 75% of the basket is declining.
The bottom line is that with inflation currently at 7.7% and declining rent inflation, declining car price inflation, declining transportation inflation, declining import price inflation, and elevated inventory levels, we may not need a dramatic amount of demand destruction and a significant increase in the unemployment rate for inflation to come down to the Fed’s 2% inflation target.
In short, with inflation declining and the labor market remaining solid, the probability of a soft landing is rising.
Source: BLS, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Weights as of October 2022. Goods also includes traditional commodities See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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Inflation is coming down without a major increase in the unemployment rate, see charts below. That is the definition of a soft landing.
Source: BLS, Apollo Chief Economist 
Source: ISM, BLS, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist 
Source: ISM, BLS, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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The November employment report shows that wage inflation is increasing in the service sector and declining in the goods sector, and most of the jobs created in November were in Leisure and hospitality, see chart below and our chart book available here.
Source: BLS, Haver, Apollo Chief Economist See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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The US corporate high yield total return index is down 10% so far in 2022, and high inflation and rising rates have significantly impacted bond market returns. The average total annual return in high yield from 2010 to 2020 was 8%, see chart below.
Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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Foreign private investors are buying a lot of Treasuries at the moment, see chart below. Foreign central banks, on the other hand, are big sellers of Treasuries. And foreigners, more broadly, are big sellers of US equities.
Source: Treasury, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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Beijing subway passenger traffic is approaching the low levels seen earlier this year, see chart below.
Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.
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