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April 16, 2024
Employee sentiment fell in April
The Employee Motivation and Commitment index fell 11 points in April, its biggest drop in a year.
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November 6, 2023
MainStreet Macro: What a slowing job market means for women
Last week’s data on jobs showed us a solid but slowing labor market. Private employers added 113,000 jobs in October, according to the ADP National Employment Report, and the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that U.S. non-farm payrolls grew by 150,000. And the super-sized wage gains that defined the labor market over the past 18 months also have slowed dramatically.
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October 30, 2023
MainStreet Macro: The economy’s comeback story
Everyone loves a good comeback story. Well, most everyone.
When the economy provided us with a comeback story last week, just in time for this week’s meeting of the Federal Reserve, only the stock market took the news as bad.
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October 9, 2023
MainStreet Macro: Unraveling clues to the job market
Occasionally, I like to leave the comfort of my Main Street and take a tour of the economy to see how other neighborhoods are faring.
One place that got my attention last week was the bond market. Last week, bond market investors were scrutinizing the job market for clues to determine whether the Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates this year.
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October 2, 2023
MainStreet Macro: Under lock and key
I vividly recall the first time I received my keys as a new homeowner. I was in a conference room with my new husband, our real estate agent, the seller, his new husband, and his real estate agent. I remember the seller passing the keys to me. In that moment, I became a homeowner. That was nearly 20 years ago. Today, mortgage rates are at a 20-year high, fewer homes are on the market, home prices continue to increase steadily, and moments like the one I had all those years ago are out of reach for more and more would-be homebuyers.
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September 25, 2023
MainStreet Macro: Chasing Growth
This week, in the absence of a video, I’d like to set a scene with words. Imagine you’re a hero, tracking a villain dead-set on mayhem. The fate of the economy hangs on your every move.
Fraught with more tension than The Dark Knight, central banks around the world have been doing just that, turning their laser sights on interest rates as they try to chase down high inflation. Every decision carries high stakes, with the threat of a slowing economy menacing at every turn. It’s a fact that many economies don’t just fall into recession; they’re driven there by central banks that hike rates too aggressively.
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September 11, 2023
MainStreet Macro: The hidden truth about promotions
I really enjoy research that tells me something new, something I wasn’t expecting. And that’s exactly what my team delivered last week in Today at Work, our quarterly research publication.
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August 28, 2023
MainStreet Macro: Why we care about the care economy
by Nela Richardson, Ph.D. • Jeff Nezaj
Last week, I previewed the Federal Reserve’s meeting at Jackson Hole, an annual convocation of central bankers, academics, and business leaders. This year’s theme was structural shifts in the global economy, so when I was asked to give remarks, I wanted to reflect on a labor market component that's not often discussed – the care economy.
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August 21, 2023
MainStreet Macro: Some pain, more gain. Powell’s warning, a year later
The Federal Reserve holds its annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this week. The high-profile symposium draws some 120 central bankers, financial executives, politicians, and academics, who meet to discuss important long-term economic policy issues. The highlight of the event is a Friday morning speech given by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Last year, Powell used his speech to deliver a warning for the economy: There will be pain.
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