Moody's Talks - Inside Economics

Dante joins the podcast to discuss the October employment report. The impact of recent strikes and hurricanes weighed on the headline jobs figure, but everyone agrees that underlying job growth remains strong. Cris and Mark debate the reasons why productivity growth in the U.S. has outpaced the rest of the world, but Dante remains skeptical that recent productivity success is sustainable.Guest: Dante DeAntonio, Se nior Director of Economic Research, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President of the American Action Forum and former Director of the Congressional Budget Office, joins Mark and Cris to discuss vexillology, potential election outcomes, and the impact of proposed immigration and tariff policies on the economy.  After a quick statistics game, Doug shared his insights on the national debt and how the government's fiscal imbalances may ultimately be resolved. Guest: Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President of American Action ForumRead this week's "Week in Regulation" from the American Action Forum: Latest Cybersecurity Rule Leaves a MarkRead Mark's Article in the Philadelphia Inquirer: Weighing the Merits of Broad-Based Tariffs Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

Ben Harris, Brookings’ Director of Economic Studies, joined the Inside Economics team to talk about the economy, the presidential election, and the economic policies of Vice President Harris and former President Trump. The bottom line: buckle in.  The election will likely be close and contentious, and the ultimate makeup of government will result in very different directions for policy and the economy’s future performance.Today's Guest: Ben Harris - Brookings, Vice President and Director of Economic StudiesPaper referenced by Ben Harris: Immigration and the macroeconomy after 2024Papers referenced by Inside Economics team: The Macroeconomic Fallout of Trump’s Tariff Proposals  Updated 2024 U.S. Election ProbabilitiesAssessing the Macroeconomic Consequences of Harris vs. TrumpHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedInEmail the Inside Economics team with your questions: helpeconomy@moodys.com

Matt Colyar and Adam “Hurricane” Kamins join the podcast to discuss this week’s inflation data and the economic impact of Hurricane Milton. The team parses the latest CPI report and debates whether inflation is “sticky” or “moderating”.  Adam discusses his work on estimating the economic damage from the recent string of devastating hurricanes. The team also discusses the potential longer-term fallout on housing and migration in storm-prone areas like Florida.  For the paper on the impact of homeowners insurance on housing affordability click hereGuest: Matt Colyar - Assistant Director, Moody's AnalyticsGuest: Adam Kamins - Senior Director, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

Mark and Cris are joined by Dante and Michael Strain, Director of Economic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.  Dante kicks things off with a detailed summary of the stronger than expected U.S. employment report for September. Buoyant wage growth and upward revisions to July and August’s numbers confirm that the economy remains healthy.  The discussion then pivoted to the presidential election with Michael making a strong case for status quo economic policies and divided government.Check out Michael's Strain's Book: The American Dream Is Not DeadGuest: Michael R. Strain - Director of Economic Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)Guest: Dante DeAntonio, Senior Director of Economic Research, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

Is this the best economy ever? Given the big revisions to GDP and the steady stream of other stellar economic data, the Inside Economics team makes the case that it is.  Moderating inflation, full employment, stronger savings rates and steady corporate profits point to an economy that is stronger than consumer confidence suggests. The team also discusses the latest economic proposals from the presidential campaign and a recent opinion piece comparing Mark’s forecasts to those of Punxsutawney Phil. Editor’s note: Punxsutawney Phil has also been unfairly mischaracterized by the media. https://www.axios.com/2023/01/28/groundhog-day-punxsutawney-phil-spring-winterGuest: Matt Colyar - Assistant Director, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

Economist Martin Wurm joins Inside Economics to discuss the Fed’s rate cut earlier this week, which was larger than the IE team expected. Martin talks about the decision behind the large cut and what it means for the future path of interest rates and the forecasts for the rest of the economy. The team discusses the rate decision’s impact on the housing market and mortgage rates and ends by playing a tough stats game.Guest: Martin Wurm – Director-Economic Research, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

The Inside Economics team breaks down the latest inflation data -- August’s consumer price index. They unpack the underlying components, focusing most of their attention on the confounding acceleration in shelter inflation. “Eggflation” makes a return to the podcast as well. Nevertheless, U.S. inflation has cooled considerably, and the Fed is set to start lowering their policy rate at next week’s meeting. What will that mean for U.S. consumers and businesses? Finally, Marisa takes some listener questions and Matt reads some (mostly positive) reviews of the Inside Economics podcast.  Guest: Matt Colyar - Assistant Director, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

The Inside Economics crew gathers in Southern California for an early morning reaction to the August jobs report, which they all concur is “pretty good”. They discuss the implications of slowing job growth for the Fed’s upcoming meetings as well as the presidential election. Finally, they all give their odds for a recession occurring in the next year—Cris remains the bear of the group. Guest: Dante DeAntonio - Senior Director, Economic ResearchHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

The Inside Economics team discusses what they found most encouraging and disquieting in the blizzard of economic releases and events of this past week. Emily Mandel, our state and local government expert, also weighs in on the fiscal health of states and how the economy is performing in states that stand to swing the Presidential election. The group also takes up listener questions; keep the Qs coming. Guest: Emily Mandel - Associate Director, Senior Economist, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

Brendan LaCerda (not Canadian) joins Mark, Cris & Marisa to discuss a plethora of topics, including the Canadian railroad workers strike, the revisions to the employment numbers, Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole speech, and the Moody’s Analytics election model. The team takes a few thought-provoking listener questions on the housing market and the savings rate.  Reach out to us with any questions or suggestions at helpeconomy@moodys.comHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

With the release of July’s consumer price index this week, the Inside Economics team discusses the current state of U.S. inflation. As they dig into the underlying details, they debate what they see as root causes. Specifically – are corporations taking advantage of consumers by keeping prices higher than they should? If so, are recent policy proposals to address ‘price gouging’ likely to be effective? Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

It has been a hair on fire couple weeks for global investors. Stock, bond, commodity and foreign exchange markets have been buffeted by wild swings.  No better person to discuss this with than Robin Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and formerly of the Institute of International Finance, Goldman Sachs and the IMF. Robin weighs in on the reasons for the volatility, including policy missteps by the Bank of Japan, and considers what it all means for monetary policy and the economy. For more on today's guest: Robin J Brooks - Senior Fellow at Global Economy and Development, BrookingsFollow Robin on 'X'Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn 

Nick Bunker from Indeed joined the podcast to break down July’s surprisingly weak employment report. The team put forward their favorite interjections before breaking down the report into causes for concern, potential measurement issues and (a few) reasons for cautious optimism. The discussion turned to the “Sahm Rule” as the group pondered whether the recent rise in the unemployment rate is signaling a recession.  Mark and Marisa both claimed victory in the Statistics Game before the podcast ended with the team putting forward their current recession probabilities. (4:00) July Employment Report  (22:58) Labor Market Issues(51:00) Stats Game(1:02:50) Recession RisksToday's Guest: Nick Bunker, Director of North American Economic Research at IndeedFollow Nick Bunker: @Nick_BunkerHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

Muzaffar Chishti, senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, shares his insights with the Inside Economics podcast on the challenges and opportunities posed by the recent surge in foreign immigration. He dispels various misconceptions around immigration and lays out a cogent immigration reform plan. Immigration policy will be at the top of the next President’s policy agenda, and hopefully they tap Muzaffar for his advice. Today's Guest: Muzaffar Chishti, Senior Fellow - Migration Policy Institute Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn 

John Leer, Chief Economist from Morning Consult and frequent Inside Economics guest, joins the team to discuss the past week’s slew of (mostly) very good economic data. John discusses the latest consumer sentiment surveys and why they have diverged so sharply from observed consumer behavior. He also talks about changing expectations for the upcoming Presidential election and Senate races in light of the past week’s political events.  Today's Guest: John Leer, Chief Economist of Morning ConsultFollow John Leer on LinkedInHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn  

The CrowdStrike debacle delayed this week's Inside Economics podcast but did not deter it. PNC Chief Economist Gus Faucher joined the team to talk about his outlook for the economy, the conduct of monetary policy and his thinking around the election and what it means for policy and the economy. Despite living in Pittsburgh now, it was good to hear he remains a Phillies fan. Today's Guest: Augustine Faucher, Chief Economist - The PNC Financial Services Group Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Boston Consulting Group’s Global Chief Economist, joins the Inside Economics team to share his views on the economy and discuss his newly published book. He makes the case that macroeconomic threats are intensifying and can no longer be ignored by decisionmakers. He also provides a nifty framework for how to assess the seriousness of these threats and not get caught up in the doom and gloom that often characterize them. Today's Guest: Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak - Global Chief Economist, Boston Consulting Group, Click here to learn more about Philipp Carlsson-SzlezakClick here for Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak's book Guest Host: Matt Colyar - Assistant Director, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

Dante joins the podcast to break down the June employment report. While everyone agreed that the report was mostly good, concerns remain around the concentration of job gains and the slowdown in hiring. With job growth moderating and the unemployment rate edging higher, the team argues that the time is now for the Fed to start cutting rates. Link to surveyGuest Hosts: Dante DeAntonio - Senior Director, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will pursue very different economic policies if reelected. Both have put forward a wide range of proposals to change the tax code, government spending, and trade, immigration and regulatory policies that if implemented could have significant consequences on the economy’s performance for years to come. In this bonus episode of Inside Economics, the team considers what policies would likely be implemented under different election scenarios and their economic impact.Read the full analysis by Mark Zandi, Brendan La Cerda and Justin Begley: Assessing the Macroeconomic Consequences of Biden vs. TrumpGuest Hosts: Justin Begley - Economist, Moody's Analytics, Brendan La Cerda - Director/Senior Economist, Moody's AnalyticsHosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn