Using immigration to dismiss jobs data 'is a mistake', says Renaissance's Neil Dutta

Labor Market & Economy - The labor market shows signs of weakening, with the prime age employment rate (25-54 years old) down approximately 0.5 percentage points compared to the previous year, which is atypical for a strong economy [2] - College unemployment rates are increasing, suggesting that rationalizations of the jobs data, such as attributing it to immigration, may be flawed [3] - Real personal consumption has decreased in the first six months of the year, a fact that is not widely recognized [6] Consumer Spending & Housing - The housing sector is experiencing a recession, indicated by a sharp decline in single-family permits [6] - Consumers are financially vulnerable, with real spending declining, including a notable weakening in services [6][7] - Consumers may lack the capacity to absorb higher prices, potentially leading the Federal Reserve to consider rate cuts [5] Monetary Policy & Inflation - The Federal Reserve faces a challenging situation as inflation numbers might worsen during the summer [4] - Nominal incomes are slowing, providing a solid basis for policymakers like Governor Waller [4] - Broad capital expenditure (capex) outside of AI technology is expected to be sluggish due to companies' less optimistic outlook [7]