All Things in Moderation

Vital Statistics:

Stocks are lower this morning after yesterday’s wild ride in the stock and bond markets. Bonds and MBS are flat.

Jobs report data dump:

• Nonfarm payrolls + 155,000
• Unemployment rate 3.7%
• Labor force participation rate 62.9%
• Average hourly earnings up 0.2% / 3.1%

This was generally a weaker-than-expected jobs report, with payrolls coming in below the 190,000k estimate and average hourly earnings about 1/10% below estimates. It probably won’t make that much of a difference to the Fed, but it does show the economy is moderating a bit from the torrid pace of mid-year.

The Fed Funds futures are beginning to cheat to the side of less movement from the Fed. While the December futures are still predicting a hike, the June futures are now predicting that the Fed might hike only one more time.

Nonfarm productivity rose 2.3% last quarter, while employment costs rose 0.9%. Real compensation grew at 1.1%, which is disappointing, but overall the report is decent. This report does demonstrate the issue that has been bedeviling the Fed: if we are at full employment, wages should be heading higher and the central bank should get ahead of that. However, wages are behaving as if we are not at full employment. So which numbers are telling the truth? IMO, we are not at full employment yet. While there are worker shortages in some areas, there is a glut in other areas. Also the financial crisis kicked out a lot of workers who were in their prime earnings years, and that is depressing the numbers.

Kathy Kraninger has been confirmed by the Senate to be the next head of the CFPB. She will serve a 5 year term. The vote fell along party lines, with Republicans looking for her to reform the agency’s anti-business tilt, while Democrats ululated that she won’t be tough enough on the industry. While nobody knows exactly what she has in mind, the CFPB has been going in the direction of more transparency about what the rules of the road are.

Loan Depot CEO Anthony Hsieh sent an email to his loan officers to stop whining. “I am honored to be your CEO and happy to work very hard for you. But the 42% that are unhappy being here, I do not want to work this hard for those that don’t want to be here. Adjust your attitude, be ALL-IN,” the alleged email states.  “Stop acting entitled and understand this industry has ups and downs, but all will average out great. Be confident and stop whining” Definitely a different approach to motivating people.

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