Labor Market Analysis - The labor market is showing signs of weakness, with some indicators suggesting conditions near recession levels [1][3] - Employment growth appears to be close to zero, potentially stabilizing at pre-shutdown levels [5][6] - Job openings and hiring are weak and potentially weakening, as indicated by Indeed numbers [6] - Layoff announcements, as summarized by the Challenger measure, are raising concerns [7][10] Economic Outlook - GDP is considered "doing okay" at 36%, but is distorted by front-loading effects and changes in inventories [8] - The labor market numbers are considered a more reliable measure of the economy's current state than GDP [9] Inflation and Monetary Policy - Inflation numbers have been generally encouraging, despite the pass-through from tariffs [13][14] - The analyst remains comfortable with the expectation of a Federal Reserve rate cut at the December meeting [15] Technology Impact - There is a potential for a more significant and quicker impact from AI on the labor market than previously anticipated [11][12]
Goldman Sachs' Jan Hatzius: It looks like employment growth is fairly close to zero