Research & Gradings
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This week’s big event is the Fed’s September 16th-17th FOMC meeting. We expect, like most analysts, to see a 25-bps rate cut. Finally! Labor market weakness is too significant to be ignored. We also expect that the Fed meeting will indicate two more cuts this year and leave the door open to more in 2026.
Inflation numbers rose by 0.4% month-o-month for August and 2.9% y-o-y, according to the latest CPI report.
Mr. Market will have plenty to consider during the upcoming week.
The ASCE's report card for Utah assigns a cumulative grade of 'C+' to Utah's infrastructure, maintaining the same grade as the previous report card in 2020. This grade is notable as Utah is one of only three states to achieve a 'C+', the highest grade ASCE has ever assigned to a state's infrastructure.
One of the cornerstones of the Trump administration is the revival of the manufacturing sector. This is to be accomplished through a combination of economic policy measures, promotion of returning manufacturing to the US or reshoring, and, when perceived necessary, bullying companies, often with the threat of tariffs as well as a steady stream of presidential badgering on social media.
At the May 8th Federal Reserve FOMC meeting interest rates were left at 4.25%-4.50%. This was the third consecutive time the US central bank has held rates steady.
Fitch Ratings assigned a 'BBB+' rating to the New York City Industrial Development Agency's (NYC IDA) $923 million PILOT Revenue Refunding Bonds,Series 2020, Yankee Stadium Project. Fitch has also affirmed the 'BBB+' rating on the Series 2006 and 2009 bonds, as well as the NYCIDA's Series 2006 and 2009 Rental Revenue Bonds, issued on behalf of Yankee Stadium LLC (StadCo). The Rating Outlook is Stable. The transaction will refund $863 million Series 2006 and 2009 bonds, generating more than $200 million in present value savings.
S&P Global Ratings placed 98 ratings on most U.S. airports and airport-related obligations on CreditWatch with negative implications, affecting 63 different obligors. This week, SRG had a chance to talk with Kurt E. Forsgren, S&P Global transportation sector leader and senior credit analyst on Airports.
A Blue Ribbon Committee of Housing Policy leaders released a COVID-19 Crisis report on August 7 that estimates 30 to 40 million Americans may face eviction over the next several months.
Puerto Rico's elections were a mess. On Sunday, August 9, Puerto Rico was forced to partially suspend voting for primaries marred by a lack of ballots, as officials called on the president of the Commonwealth's elections commissioner Juan Ernesto Davila to resign. The primaries for voting centers that had not received ballots by early Sunday afternoon were expected to be rescheduled, while voting would continue elsewhere, the commission said.
Aristotle wrote in "Politics" that the purpose of political community is not living, but living well. One measure of how well a political community is living is the quality of the opportunity for education. Clearly, the COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the traditional classroom learning model. America's school system failed the teachers, students and parents.
On August 4th the port of Beirut was the scene of a horrific explosion, which killed more than 150 people, injured 6,000 and left some 300,000 homeless. The damages are estimated to be in excess of $15 billion. The city’s hospitals, already struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were damaged by the blast and swamped with injured. On top of already raging economic and political crises, the explosion now raises the question of food security. Prior to the explosion, 80 percent of Lebanon’s imports passed through Beirut’s port. Without a functioning port in Beirut, the country now relies on a handful of secondary ports, chief among them being Tripoli in the north, to import food and to export its products.

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Smith's Research & Gradings focuses on the people, sectors and news that matter the most to you. Smith's analysis is an indispensable part of Wall Street and the world's capital markets. Our approach was inspired by the need for a consistent analytical approach across all asset classes. Smith's Gradings are a time-tested, performance proven, and principles-based approach to risk. We go beyond the numbers to connect the dots for the world's decision makers. We can enhance the performance of investments in assets around the globe, while helping to ensure the safety of portfolios here at home.
Let a subscription to The Global Economic Doctor provide you with access to sovereign news, analysis and insights. Concise and powerful, the Global Economic Doctor spans the globe, giving you a read on how today’s market developments and key players are impacting your business around the planet.