Core Viewpoint - Prudential expects the Federal Reserve to implement two interest rate cuts within the next six months before a new administration takes over [1] Group 1: Interest Rate Expectations - Prudential's fixed income head, Kenneth Orchard, indicates that the market has a more aggressive outlook on the number of rate cuts, leading to expectations of higher short- and medium-term U.S. Treasury yields [1] - The Federal Reserve would need to lower rates to significantly below 3% to see a decline in the front and middle of the yield curve, as the market has already priced in multiple rate cuts [1] Group 2: Inflation Outlook - Prudential anticipates that U.S. inflation will not decrease, projecting it to remain between 3% and 3.5% over the next 12 months, contrary to market expectations of a decline [1] - There is a growing trend of U.S. Treasury bonds being held by price-sensitive investors, which may impact market dynamics [1] Group 3: Employment Situation - Although the U.S. unemployment rate has seen a mild increase recently, it does not indicate an impending recession, as maintaining approximately 40,000 jobs per month is sufficient to keep employment stable [1]

Group 1 - The Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell indicated that the U.S. unemployment rate remains low but has slightly increased, while inflation has risen and is still at a slightly elevated level. Inflation risks are on the rise, and employment risks are on the decline. Most inflation expectation indicators are expected to align with the 2% target after next year. Price increases driven by tariffs are anticipated to continue this year and next [2]. - Powell emphasized that the Federal Reserve should observe the developments in tariffs, inflation, and the labor market before deciding to lower interest rates. The latest FOMC meeting minutes revealed that the Federal Reserve decided to lower the federal funds rate target range by 25 basis points to between 4.00% and 4.25%. This marks the first rate cut since December 2024 [3]. - When asked about the potential impact of White House economic advisor Stephen Milan joining the Federal Reserve on its independence, Powell stated that the Federal Reserve is "firmly committed" to maintaining its independence from political influence [2].

Group 1 - The initial response rate of the August non-farm survey rebounded significantly, but the trend of employment deterioration has not stopped, with private sector job additions contracting for four consecutive months [1] - The total non-farm job additions from May to August were only 107,000, which is below the average monthly growth of 127,000 in the first four months of 2025 [1] - The unemployment rate rose from 4.248% to 4.324%, primarily due to a slight recovery in labor force participation [3] Group 2 - The Kansas Fed President stated that there is no need to adjust interest rates, despite the region's employment situation being the worst in the country [6] - The employment situation in the manufacturing sector, sensitive to tariffs, has been declining, indicating potential further job losses in this area [8] - The U6 unemployment rate and the unemployment rate for African Americans have shown significant increases, highlighting structural vulnerabilities in the labor market [11] Group 3 - The combination of declining full-time employment, rising part-time employment, and increasing permanent unemployment has accumulated greater risks for a jump in the unemployment rate [7] - The labor market is facing structural issues, with young individuals lacking skills and experience struggling to find jobs, while undocumented immigrants are hesitant to work due to political climate [16] - The trend of rising unemployment is likely to continue, even if the U.S. economy does not enter a recession [16]

Core Viewpoint - The U.S. labor market shows signs of weakness, with the unemployment rate rising to 4.3% in August, the highest in nearly four years, and non-farm payrolls increasing by only 22,000, significantly below expectations [1][1][1] Employment Data - The unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, reaching 4.3% [1] - Non-farm employment growth was only 22,000 in August, a sharp decline from the revised 79,000 in July and well below the market expectation of 75,000 [1][1] - The report confirms a trend of weakness in the U.S. labor market, as evidenced by the rising unemployment rate and disappointing job growth figures [1][1][1] Revision of Previous Data - The non-farm payroll figures for May and June were also significantly revised downward, indicating a broader trend of labor market deterioration [1]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the potential for the Federal Reserve to initiate a small interest rate cut in September, influenced by rising inflation data and pressure from the White House, despite the current economic indicators not supporting a large-scale reduction [1][4]. Economic Indicators - The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July shows a year-on-year increase of 2.7%, with the core CPI rising by 3.1%, indicating that inflation remains above the Fed's target of 2% [1]. - The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, which the Fed closely monitors, was reported at 2.6% for June, up from 2.4% and 2.2% in previous months, justifying the Fed's decision to maintain interest rates [2]. - The unemployment rate in July was stable at 4.2%, a significant decrease from the peak of 14.8% in April 2020, suggesting a recovery in the labor market [3]. Government Debt and Fiscal Concerns - The U.S. government is approaching a "technical default," with projections indicating that 30% of government revenue in fiscal year 2025 will be allocated to debt interest payments, exacerbating the fiscal deficit [4]. - The ongoing high-interest payments on national debt create a paradox with the Fed's high interest rates, leading to concerns about the sustainability of U.S. fiscal policy and potential market reactions [4]. Market Reactions - Since April, there has been a notable sell-off of ten-year U.S. Treasury bonds, reflecting growing market anxiety regarding the U.S. debt repayment crisis and the sustainability of government revenue [4].

Group 1 - The U.S. labor market is experiencing a significant slowdown, with July non-farm payrolls adding only 19,000 jobs, the lowest in nine months, and previous months' data revised down by 258,000 jobs [1][2] - The unemployment rate remains stable, with a slight increase of 0.1 percentage points in July, indicating that despite low job growth, the labor market is not in a state of crisis [3][4] - Labor force participation has been declining since May, with a total decrease of 0.5 percentage points year-on-year by July, reaching the lowest level since November 2022 [4][5] Group 2 - The Federal Reserve maintained interest rates at the end of July, but there were notable dissenting votes from two board members, highlighting internal divisions regarding monetary policy in light of the employment data [2][3] - The PCE price index showed a rebound, with a quarter-on-quarter increase of 2.1% in Q2, suggesting that inflation pressures are still present, albeit at a moderated level [5] - The quality of employment is declining as the actual number of employed individuals decreases, with long-term unemployment rising to 1.83 million, the highest level since 2017, excluding the pandemic [4][5]

Core Viewpoint - The current "moderately tight" monetary policy in the U.S. is deemed appropriate, allowing the Federal Reserve to observe economic trends and assess risks for potential policy adjustments [1] Economic Forecast - The economic impact of the Trump administration's increased import tariffs is just beginning to manifest, with inflation expected to rise by approximately 1 percentage point in the second half of the year and early next year [1] - The U.S. economic growth rate is projected to slow down to 1% this year [1] - The unemployment rate is anticipated to increase from the current 4.1% to 4.5% by the end of the year [1] - The inflation rate is expected to remain between 3% and 3.5% for the entire year [1]

Group 1 - The U.S. labor market shows short-term stickiness, with June non-farm payrolls increasing by 147,000, exceeding expectations of 106,000, and the unemployment rate falling to 4.1%, below the expected 4.3% and previous 4.2% [1][4][6] - Job creation is uneven, with private sector jobs increasing by 74,000, below the expected 100,000, while state and local government jobs added 80,000, and healthcare and leisure sectors contributed significantly to the total [5][6][8] - The transportation and warehousing sector saw an increase of 8,000 jobs, indicating active freight logistics, possibly linked to inventory replenishment in certain industries [5][6] Group 2 - The unemployment rate decreased from 4.24% to 4.12%, with the permanent unemployment rate also declining from 1.12% to 1.11% [2][6][7] - Initial jobless claims fell by 4,000 to 233,000, while continuing claims remained steady at 1.964 million, aligning with expectations [2][6] - The labor force participation rate decreased to 62.3%, indicating a potential decline in labor supply due to stricter immigration policies [8][9] Group 3 - Wage growth shows stickiness, with June hourly wages increasing by 3.7% year-on-year, slightly below the expected 3.8%, and a month-on-month increase of 0.2% [3][10] - The Index of Aggregate Payrolls Private for June showed a year-on-year increase of 4.5%, down from 4.9% previously, but still above the average of 4.8% for 2024 [10][11] - The overall wage growth supports consumer spending, particularly for lower-income groups, indicating resilience in the economy [10][11] Group 4 - The Federal Reserve is unlikely to cut interest rates in July, with a higher probability of a rate cut in September, influenced by strong employment data and market reactions to fiscal policies [11][12] - The market's concerns about economic hard landing and short-term rate cuts have significantly decreased, supporting risk assets [12][11] - The Fed Watch data indicates a 63.8% probability of a rate cut in September, down from 71.9% previously, reflecting market adjustments to recent economic data [11][12]

Core Points - The U.S. labor market remains stable with a non-farm employment increase of 147,000 in June, maintaining an unemployment rate of 4.1% [1][4] - Job growth is concentrated in state government and healthcare sectors, with state government adding 47,000 jobs and healthcare contributing 39,000 jobs [2] - Wage growth is moderate, with average hourly earnings rising by 0.2% to $36.30, while average weekly hours worked slightly decreased [3] Employment Trends - The state government sector saw significant job additions, particularly in education, which accounted for 40,000 of the new jobs [2] - The federal government continues to reduce its workforce, with a loss of 7,000 jobs in June and a total of 69,000 jobs cut since January [2] - Long-term unemployment is a growing concern, with 1.6 million individuals unemployed for 27 weeks or more, representing 23.3% of the total unemployed [4] Labor Market Dynamics - The labor force participation rate remains unchanged at 62.3%, with approximately 6 million individuals willing to work but not actively participating in the labor market [6] - The number of marginally attached workers has increased to 1.8 million, indicating a rise in individuals who are discouraged about job prospects [6] - Revisions to previous employment data show an upward adjustment, with April and May's non-farm employment figures increased by a total of 16,000 jobs [7]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint is that the U.S. economy is likely to experience a systematic and gradual weakening rather than a clear segmentation of inflation followed by stagnation, with increasing risks of non-farm payroll declines [1][8][37] - Recent economic data changes in the U.S. are not keeping pace with asset price fluctuations and macro narratives, indicating a divergence between hard and soft data [3][5] - The negative impacts of various non-tariff policies are becoming increasingly evident, contributing to the suppression of U.S. economic growth [5][8] Group 2 - The rate and potential magnitude of inflation are declining, with the U.S. CPI readings falling short of expectations for four consecutive months [9][11] - There is no significant inflation in tariff-sensitive sectors, and the demand-side weakness is likely to impose stronger price constraints [11][13] - Concerns about stagnation are rising as labor market data shows signs of weakening, despite stable non-farm employment figures [16][21] Group 3 - Service consumption is expected to be the first to reflect the weakening of the U.S. economy, with signs of declining consumer willingness [27][28] - The structure of disposable income growth is unhealthy, with a significant portion coming from government welfare rather than labor income [29][33] - The overall consumption willingness is decreasing, which will further suppress service consumption levels [37]