James Picerno | May 18, 2016 10:02AM ET
Economic growth has been winding lower lately and the deceleration trend is on track to continue in April, based on The Capital Spectator’s analysis of the three-month average of the Chicago Fed’s National Activity Index (CFNAI-MA3). Tomorrow’s report for the first month of the second quarter is expected to show that the Fed bank’s business cycle benchmark will tick lower. The Capital Spectator’s average forecast of CFNAI-MA3 by way of several econometric estimates calls for a mild decline to -0.25, which is slightly below the -0.18 reading for March. The -0.25 projection is still well above the tipping point that marks the start of recessions, but the negative print continues to point to below-trend growth for the US.
Only values below -0.70 signal an “increasing likelihood” that a recession has started, according to guidelines from the Chicago Fed. Using today’s average estimate for April as a guide, CFNAI’s three-month average is expected to reaffirm that the expansion remains moderately below the historical trend but well above the tipping point that marks the start of a recession. If the forecast is accurate, however, the US macro trend will ease to the slowest pace so far this year, based on CFNAI-MA3 data.
Here’s a closer look at the numbers, followed by brief definitions of the methodologies behind The Capital Spectator’s projections that are used to calculate the average forecast:
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