In India, where the world’s biggest lockdown threatens to push 12 million into extreme poverty, there may be glimmers of hope in high-frequency figures. A basket of such indicators, including traffic congestion, electricity demand, and employment, point to a “modest lift off lows,” Radhika Rao, an economist at DBS Group Holdings Ltd. in Singapore, said in a report Thursday.
U.S. High Frequency Data Dashboard
In the U.S., some green shoots are evident with most indicators on Bloomberg Economics latest weekly dashboard of high-frequency, alternative and market-based data showing slight but steady improvement from distressing levels. Those include filings for unemployment benefits, mortgage applications and travel by air and public transit. Air travel and table booking in restaurants are also picking up, albeit they are still far below their peaks.
Some monthly data are also exhibiting signs of steadying or edging up. New-home sales in the U.S. unexpectedly increased in April, while consumer confidence as measured by the Conference Board stabilized in May after a sharp decline the previous month.
“The U.S. economy appears set to turn the corner on the Covid-19 recession as businesses quickly reopen across the country,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics.
At the end of last week, 575 counties, accounting for about 13% of the U.S. gross domestic product, were still locked down, according to Zandi. That’s down from a peak of 2,600 counties -- with nearly 30% of GDP -- at the end of April.
“Maybe we’re near the bottom in terms of the economic downturn and hopefully we’ll start seeing improvement in coming months,” Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said in a May 27 Bloomberg Television interview. “I expect to see a pretty significant rebound in the second half of this year.”
If the recovery does take hold in June, it would mark the U.S. downturn as perhaps the shortest recession in records going back to 1854, but among the most severe. The unemployment rate more than tripled in April to 14.7%, the highest since the Great Depression, as employers cut an unprecedented 20.5 million jobs. A further rise in joblessness is expected this month.
“While the decline in confidence appears to have stopped for the moment, the uneven path to recovery and potential second wave are likely to keep a cloud of uncertainty hanging over consumers’ heads,” said Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at The Conference Board.
As for Europe, an easing of restrictions has also allowed a pickup in economies. Stores are reopening, as are restaurants in many countries, and high-frequency data measuring peoples’ movement to restaurant bookings show the start of a revival.