Non-farm Payroll The U.S. labor market has remained tight. There are more jobs available than applicants; in particular, skilled labor positions remain unfilled in some…
Treasury Yield Curve The yield curve has inverted; that is, short-term interest rates are now higher than longer-term rates. This phenomenon can indicate the potential…
ISM Manufacturing Index The manufacturing sector is slowing, especially the export sectors. According to the ISM survey of purchasing managers, there is concern over the…
Quarterly Real U.S. GDP Growth Estimates for 2019 gross domestic product are coming down; while the first quarter ended with a 3.1% growth rate, evidence…
ISM Manufacturing Index There are further signs of a slowing economy in 2019. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Index, while still above 50%,…
ISM Manufacturing PMI The most recent ISM Manufacturing Index increased 2.3% from December 2018, indicating expanding business strength fostered by stronger demand and output. The…
Real Wages—All Employees After many years of stagnant real wage growth (adjusted for inflation), the U.S. labor market saw improvement in wages paid. This was…
Effective Federal Funds Rate, 1954–2018 Much of the anxiety seen in the stock markets in the fourth quarter of 2018 was the result of aggressive…
Treasury Yield Curve The yield curve continued to flatten as short-term interest rates rose relative to longer-term rates. The Federal Reserve has made clear its…
Quarterly Real U.S. GDP Growth The U.S. economy is coming off of its tax cut–induced bump. Estimates of 2019 GDP are coming down, as indicated…
Quarterly U.S. GDP Growth Providing a counterpoint to the ISM data, second-quarter U.S. GDP was revised up from 4.1% to 4.2%, which was slightly better…
Quarterly U.S. GDP Growth First quarter GDP growth was 2.63%, the lowest in four quarters; however, the expectations for the current quarter range from 3%…
‘Net Realizable Value’ Is the New ‘Market’
The Effects of ASU 2015-11 and Other Inventory Valuation Issues
This month's column highlights the principal effects of FASB's Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2015-11, Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. While the standard's primary impact has been…
GDP Fourth quarter U.S. GDP was revised up to 2.9%, completing a year that saw GDP grow at 2.3%. While the first quarter of 2018…
GDP Fourth quarter GDP grew at annualized rate of 2.6%, down from the previous quarter's rate of 3.2% growth. The change resulted from a downturn…
Estimating the fair value of a nonmarketable financial instrument, or one that is restricted from sale, is conceptually challenging. Even though it could take significant…
