This is a strange moment for the U.S. economy.
Unemployment is still high, but companies are complaining they can’t find enough workers. Prices are shooting up for some goods and services, but not for others. Supply-chain bottlenecks are making it hard for homebuilders, automakers and other manufacturers to get the materials they need to ramp up production. A variety of indicators that normally move more or less together are right now telling vastly different stories about the state of the economy.
Most forecasters, including policymakers at the Federal Reserve, expect the confusion to be short-lived. They see what amounts to a temporary mismatch between supply and demand, brought on by the relatively swift ebbing of the pandemic: Consumers, flush with stimulus cash and ready to re-engage with the world after a year of lockdowns, are eager to spend, but some businesses lack the staff and supplies they need to serve them. Once companies have had a chance to bring on workers and re
Share this article
Share this article
NEW YORK, May 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ When COVID-19 entered the US in early 2020, it struck an economy experiencing serious worker shortages, especially in blue-collar and manual services jobs. Within weeks, pandemic layoffs and restrictions sent unemployment soaring from historic lows to a peak of 15 percent (April 2020). Labor shortages appeared to be a thing of the past for the foreseeable future.
One year later, the unemployment rate remains elevated, at around 6 percent. But qualified workers are once again hard to find, with the National Federation of Independent Businesses reporting that 44 percent of firms have job openings that they are unable to fill an all-time high on their survey.
Report: As COVID-19 Recedes, Labor Shortages Return as a Key Challenge for US Companies--and Opportunity for American Workers prnewswire.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from prnewswire.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
May 12, 2021
This year, advisors are likely hearing plenty about the relation trade – a scenario that implies inflation is either here, or soon will be.
Turning to fixed income assets designed to contend with a rising Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an option, but there are other, stronger considerations, including the WisdomTree Core Equity Model Portfolio.
“This model portfolio is designed for growth-oriented investors with a long-term horizon looking to maximize long-term potential for capital growth through a globally diversified set of equity ETFs,” according to WisdomTree.
Currently, the Federal Reserve isn’t sounding the inflation alarms, but advisors should prepare for a rising CPI before that scenario arrives in earnest.