Weekly economic review & outlook Stable growth and a steady Fed
You Need to Know
Week in review
Positive, but modest, growth to end 2019
Real GDP rose by an annualized 2.1 percent pace in the fourth quarter, little changed from the second and third quarters.
Fed keeps rates unchanged again
Citing a stable growth and inflation environment, the FOMC made no change to the target federal funds rate and signaled a steady outlook ahead.
Week Ahead
Forecasts
Factory orders up after a spike in defense orders
Factory orders are expected to be up in January, but the details suggest this will be largely due to defense spending.
Employment growth set to return to trend after a weaker December
Nonfarm payroll growth should rebound close to the 2019 median after a significant easing in December. Average hourly earnings should also see improved growth following a sluggish close to last year.
Real GDP rose by an annualized 2.1 percent pace in the fourth quarter, little changed from the second and third quarters. With economic growth stable and positive, the unemployment rate at 50-year lows, and inflation still weak, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kept the federal funds target range unchanged at 1.50-1.75 percent following its January meeting.
NFM-9898AO.7
