穆迪：美国经济站在悬崖边缘，美联储也难施以援手

Economic Outlook - The recent employment report indicates that the U.S. economy is heading towards a recession, with various economic indicators signaling a downturn [1] - Consumer spending is stagnating, construction and manufacturing sectors are contracting, and employment is expected to decline [1][2] - The Federal Reserve faces challenges in responding to rising inflation, which complicates potential interventions [1] Employment Data - Non-farm payrolls increased by only 73,000 last month, significantly below the expected 110,000, with previous months' data also revised downwards [2] - The average monthly job growth over the past three months is only 35,000, indicating a slowdown in employment growth [2] - Despite a stable unemployment rate around 4% to 4.2%, the labor force participation rate is declining due to reduced foreign-born labor [3] Labor Market Dynamics - The reduction in foreign-born labor by 1.2 million over the past six months is attributed to restrictive immigration policies, leading to a stagnation in labor supply [3] - There is a hiring freeze across the economy, particularly affecting new graduates, which suggests a significant drop in the "neutral job growth" needed to maintain stable unemployment [3] - Morgan Stanley economists have raised alarms about potential recession, noting that private sector job growth has averaged only 52,000 per month over the past three months [3][4] Economic Indicators - The second quarter GDP showed unexpected growth, but domestic final demand indicators suggest a slowdown [2] - Core inflation accelerated to 2.8%, exceeding the Federal Reserve's target of 2%, while consumer spending growth in June fell short of expectations [2] - The Atlanta Fed's GDP tracking model predicts a slowdown in economic growth from 3% in the second quarter to 2.1% in the third quarter [2]