The Transcripts

The Transcript 02.22.21

February 22, 2021

Vaccines continue to be administered and supply will likely open up, even more, starting in April. Consumers have been dreaming of a return to normal and we appear to be at the cusp. The result of vaccination could be an explosion of pent-up demand for hardest-hit industries and a much better second half than people expect. Still, strong demand is putting pressure on supply chains and creating inflationary pressures. Given that stimulus is dependent on a K-shaped recovery, normalization could bring its own economic disruptions.

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The Transcripts

The Transcript: 2020 Year in Review

By Mokaya on

December 21, 2020

- The Transcripts

The Year in Review: 2020 was an unprecedented year and The Transcript covered the economy throughout all of its twists and turns. Even though China was battling Covid in 2019, no one really knew what was in store for all of us in 2020. Technology, capital markets, and housing were three industries that boomed. While the stimulus was integral, the economic hero of 2020 was the US consumer. Optimism is high that 2021 will be a more normal year.

Editor’s Request: This weekly newsletter is made possible by donations from our readers. If you like what you are reading, click here to donate (Our suggested donation: $10 per month). Help us keep The Transcript going.

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The Transcripts

The Transcript 12.07.20

By Mokaya on

December 7, 2020

- The Transcripts

Succinct Summary: Consumer spending remains strong and Black Friday was successful. A third wave of COVID has made the near term outlook worse, but the medium to long term looks much brighter thanks to vaccines. Tech spending continues to outpace overall GDP growth and probably will continue to surge after the pandemic is over. The driver of spending has moved from devices towards data infrastructure and management.

Editor’s Request: This weekly newsletter is made possible by donations from our readers. If you like what you are reading, click here to donate (Our suggested donation: $10 per month). Help us keep The Transcript going.

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The Transcripts

The Transcript 11.09.20

By Mokaya on

November 9, 2020

- The Transcripts

Succinct Summary: It was hard to pay attention to anything other than politics last week, but we’re trying our best to keep a focus on the economy. Economic activity appears robust from the earnings reports that we’re reading. Even the hardest-hit industries appear to be performing much better than expected. The tech industries that surged may be normalizing though. We’re getting a strong new surge in Covid cases, but people seem to feel more prepared than they did last spring.

Editor’s Request: This weekly newsletter is made possible by donations from our readers. If you like what you are reading, click here to donate (Our suggested donation: $10 per month). Help us keep The Transcript going.

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The Transcripts

The Transcript 08.16.20

By Mokaya on

August 16, 2020

- The Transcripts

Succinct Summary: The Great Recession of ’08 pales in comparison to the kind of recession that we have here. The UK just recorded the worst quarterly recession on record. The virus levels remain stubbornly high in many places. The hope comes from the modest recovery in some hard-hit industries.

Editor’s Request: This weekly newsletter is made possible by donations from our readers. If you like what you are reading, click here to donate (Our suggested donation: $10 per month). Help us keep The Transcript going.

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The Transcripts

The Transcript 07.26.20

By Mokaya on

July 26, 2020

- The Transcripts

Succinct Summary: The economy was rebounding in May and June, but the recovery seems to have stalled out as infections have rebounded. CEO commentary was particularly negative last week. Business leaders are rapidly losing confidence and do not see a V-shaped recovery materializing. There’s a sense that government stimulus appears to be the only thing propping up the economy and it’s creating distortions in unemployment and financial markets. Still (perhaps because of this stimulus) the hot housing market suggests that consumers may not actually be in such bad shape after all–just spending on different things.

Editor’s Request: This weekly newsletter is made possible by donations from our readers. If you like what you are reading, click here to donate (Our suggested donation: $10 per month). Help us keep The Transcript going.

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The Transcripts

The Transcript 03.22.20

By Mokaya on

March 22, 2020

- The Transcripts

Succinct Summary: The Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global challenge unlike anything that we’ve seen for 100 years. It is like a war with an invisible enemy. It requires coordination and cooperation from all of us. Many industries like airlines and restaurants are seeing their businesses disappear overnight. But the economic impact is nothing compared to the human impact if we don’t act. Hospital systems are already being stretched to their limits and the worst may still be ahead. Let’s hope not. Our best hope of averting that fate is to buy ourselves time via social distancing and break down regulatory barriers for potential treatments. (Go to Covidactnow.org to see how important social distancing is in the US).

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The Transcripts

The Transcript 03.02.20

By Mokaya on

March 2, 2020

- The Transcripts

Succinct Summary: Worries about the impact of the Coronavirus are at the top of mind for management teams. The positive thing is activity is picking up in China and the impact is not expected to be long-term. Short -term worries persist, but elections may be the bigger long term risk to US markets in 2020.

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The Transcripts

The Transcript 08.12.19

By Mokaya on

August 12, 2019

- The Transcripts

Succinct Summary: Effects of the weakening global growth can be seen in the hospitality industry where lodging demand has slowed. Fewer companies are intent on hiring or spending on hiring despite the tight labor market. Mortgage prepayments are rising given the lower rates. Further afield, Germany could be headed for a recession and the Chinese automobile industry is having a tough time.

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