Pantheon Publications
Below is a list of our Publications for the last 6 months. If you are looking for reports older than 6 months please email info@pantheonmacro.com, or contact your account rep.
Please use the filters on the right to search for a specific date or topic.
Samuel Tombs
Poor track record suggests ADP’s resilient picture should be disregarded.
Samuel TombsUS
- Output per hour rose an impressive 2.3% in 2024; surveys point to higher IT spending by firms in 2025.
- AI spending, however, poses near-term downside risks to employment and more disinflation pressure.
- Mixed signals on federal spending so far, but DOGE likely will drag slightly on demand and employment.
Samuel TombsUS
Labor demand still deteriorating, amid tight monetary policy and elevated uncertainty.
Samuel TombsUS
- March 2024 payrolls likely will be revised down by about 670K after benchmarking to UI records...
- ...The birth-death model’s contribution to payroll growth since then probably will be revised down too.
- We see some evidence of tariff “front-running” in December trade data; expect a lot more to come.
Samuel TombsUS
- Job openings are still trending down; catch-up growth in healthcare hiring is fizzling out.
- JOLTS net hiring in December was more muted than payroll growth; January jobs will probably disappoint.
- Auto sales likely were hit by bad weather in January: pre-tariff purchases probably have further left to run.
Samuel TombsUS
- We look for a 125K increase in January payrolls, well below the 170K consensus.
- Survey indicators present an incoherent picture, but unusually cold weather likely hit employment.
- The small fall in continuing claims points to a stable unemployment rate, but the risks are to the upside.
Samuel TombsUS
A sub-4% saving rate is unsustainable.
Samuel TombsUS
- The tariffs imposed by Mr. Trump will lift consumer prices by 0.6%, if they are maintained.
- Recent strong growth in consumption can be largely attributed to preemptive purchases of imports.
- A sub-4% saving rate is unsustainable; expect sub-2% GDP growth soon, as consumption growth slows.
Samuel TombsUS
Continuing claims consistent with flat unemployment in January.
Samuel TombsUS
- GDP rose by 2.3% in Q4, and measures of underlying momentum were even stronger...
- ...But growth is now extremely dependent on consumption, which likely will slow markedly from here.
- Expect a modest 0.8% rise in the Q4 ECI today, and smaller increases over coming quarters.
Samuel TombsUS
- Chair Powell said revisions to the FOMC’s statement were “not meant to send a signal”.
- We’re revising our Q4 GDP growth forecast to 1.5%, from 2.0%, due to weak trade and inventories data.
- Federal government payrolls could easily drop by between 100K and 200K by October.
Samuel TombsUS
- We think GDP rose by around 2% in Q4, driven mainly by another strong increase in consumption.
- Tariffs muddy the waters, but we expect growth to be much weaker this year than in 2024.
- The FOMC is unlikely to signal less easing after only one month’s better than expected labor market data.
Samuel TombsUS
- People are using credit, despite its high cost, to bring forward big-ticket purchases to avoid tariffs.
- Credit cards supported spending growth by 0.2pp in Q4; expect a similar boost in Q1, then a hefty drag.
- Business investment probably will continue to stagnate over the next few quarters.
Samuel TombsUS
- Business confidence is net unchanged since before the election, while consumers are more downbeat.
- PMI data signal strong growth in January payrolls, but other indicators point to renewed weakness.
- We doubt Mr Trump can engineer a both boom in oil output and much lower rates in the short term.
Samuel TombsUS
RISING UNEMPLOYMENT TO SPUR FURTHER FED EASING…
- …INFLATION WILL STILL FALL UNDER MOST TARIFF SCENARIOS
Samuel TombsUS
- Ignore the Q4 plunge in the BLS new tenant rent index; it is usually revised up sharply...
- …CPI housing inflation still looks set to slow this year, contributing to a fall in overall core inflation.
- California wildfires lifted initial claims last week, but the pick-up in continuing claims has deeper roots.
Samuel TombsUS
- The federal hiring freeze likely will reduce monthly payroll growth by about 15K from February to April.
- Federal jobs account for just 2% of total payrolls, making a very big drag on the headline unlikely.
- Measures of economic policy uncertainty have shot up; that’s usually a bad sign for payroll growth too.
Samuel TombsUS
- The tariff outlook is uncertain, but core PCE inflation probably will be lower at the end of 2025 than now.
- The upward impact on prices likely will be mitigated by a diversion in trade flows, among other factors.
- Beware forecasts for January payrolls derived from Homebase data, which are extremely seasonal.
Samuel TombsUS
- Tariffs are inflationary, despite claims to the contrary, and we see other upside risks during Trump 2.0…
- …But a repeat of the runaway inflation seen in the latter half of the 1970s seems very unlikely.
- The Fed provides a far more effective backstop against sustained inflation now than it did back then.
Samuel TombsUS
Disinflation still progressing; core PCE deflator likely up just 0.2%.
Samuel TombsUS
