Recession Watch: a turning Point in Unemployment Claims?

A new era has begun for the US and global economy, trashing the simple rules of the post-WWII era. Instead of the business cycle (the “clock” analogy found in textbooks), we have secular stagnation interrupted by frequent bubbles alternating with bouts of debt deflation that are fought by massive government stimulus programs.

Since we have no playbook for this new economic regime, investors must watch the data. Bulls look at signs of strength; bears focus on signs of weakness. Survivors look at broad indicators, showing the net effect of the many cross-currents affecting the economy. The number of new claims for unemployment is among the best: close to real-time (weekly), hard data, and a leading indicator.

See the analysis at Wolf Street. Second of 2 posts today.