This "Markets Weekly" episode on October 4th focuses on the current state of the labor market in the context of a potential government shutdown and its implications for market behavior.
The speaker begins by noting that while broad equity indexes seem relatively stable, murmurs of an "Uptober" exist amidst historical volatility. Gold and silver have trended upward despite a Thursday dip that was recovered on Friday. The major news revolves around the potential government shutdown and the resultant lack of the non-farm payrolls report. The analysis proceeds by highlighting the current market fixation on employment data, driven by the Federal Reserve's focus on this metric. Recent data suggests a deterioration in the labor market, compelling the Fed to signal concern, potentially leading to rate cuts. The absence of the monthly non-farm payrolls report leaves the market and the Fed without a key data point, potentially increasing reliance on private data sources.
The speaker cautions that while some may have distrusted government data in the past (like inflation prints after the 2008 crisis), reputable private measures can offer valuable insights. He discusses the ADP monthly employment report, highlighting its broad coverage of 26 million employees. The recent ADP print showed a loss of 30,000 jobs, a significant upset compared to the expected 50,000 gain. This negative result was attributed to revisions in ADP's model incorporating benchmark revisions showing fewer jobs created overall. However, he mentions that without those revisions, the ADP print would have shown a 10,000 increase in jobs, still below estimates.
Another payments processor, Paychex, covers about 10 million employees and also indicates wage growth. The analysis of Paychex's data suggests that the job market isn't performing exceptionally well and that wage gains are decelerating to roughly 3% annually, nothing remarkable. The speaker also mentions the ISM survey, where the employment subcomponent is below 50, indicating worsening employment conditions. Overall, the private sector employment data points to a struggling labor market.
He caveats that these private measures do not perfectly correlate with the non-farm payrolls data. However, they generally move in the same direction, suggesting the official report, when released, is unlikely to be positive. The speaker then addresses the common argument attributing poor jobs data to supply-side issues, specifically crackdowns on illegal immigration. While acknowledging this factor, he asserts that a demand component is also at play, as wages are not increasing as one would expect with a reduced labor supply.
An interesting observation is that the stock market rose after the poor ADP jobs data release, while bond markets priced in more rate cuts. This suggests a shift in market regime where bad economic news is interpreted as good news because it increases the likelihood of Fed easing.
Transitioning to the government shutdown, the speaker differentiates it from the debt ceiling issue. A shutdown occurs when Congress fails to agree on a bill to fund the government. The government can still access debt markets but lacks the authority to spend. During a shutdown, non-essential employees are furloughed (but are later back paid), while essential workers like police, military, and airport staff continue working. The economic impact is relatively limited.
The impasse revolves around healthcare, with Democrats wanting to renew tax credits supporting healthcare, while Republicans want them to lapse. Democrats argue that the subsidy cuts would impact Republican voters as well. Republicans claim Democrats want to shut down the government to give benefits to illegal immigrants, a claim with some basis in reality. Betting markets suggest the shutdown could last 17 days, but some plugged-in individuals expect a faster resolution. The problem stems from Republicans' reluctance to cut healthcare and Democrats' awareness that using government shutdowns as leverage is unpopular.
The speaker believes the current shutdown is driven by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who faced criticism for quickly resolving a similar situation earlier in the year. Schumer may be trying to appear tougher to appease the progressive wing of the Democratic party, especially given a potential challenge from Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez in 2028. The speaker anticipates a resolution next week, which should benefit the markets, potentially causing a pullback in safe-haven assets like gold and crypto. He acknowledges that a lack of market complaints could prolong the shutdown and notes that a market downturn might be needed to force a resolution.
In conclusion, the speaker anticipates a resolution to the shutdown next week, believes that the labor market is showing signs of weakness, and suggests that the market dynamic is currently in a regime where bad economic news is being seen as a positive sign, and that this situation is very volatile.