View: The US economic outlook is becoming more uncertain
US economy. The outlook is bumpier than anticipated, with lower growth rates, greater inflationary pressures, and more complicated international economic and financial interactions.
However, opinions still diverge sharply on the longer-term prospects, with some believing the US is sharpening its “edge” as others fear it is eroding.
Recent “soft” data continues to flash warning signs, highlighted by Friday's disappointing consumer sentiment survey from the University of Michigan. Confidence, income expectations and inflation are all heading the wrong way.
Some of these signs are starting to be reflected in the “hard” data, pointing to what I strongly expect will be a massive round of revisions to 2025 growth forecasts.
Forget the International Monetary Fund’s January projection of 2.7% US economic growth in 2025 (which constituted an upward revision due to the IMF’s anticipation of stronger demand and a favorable wealth effect). Instead, look for this and other projections to be revised to 2% or below in the next few weeks, with Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
already lowering its forecast to 1.7%.
The reasons for these downward revisions are mounting. Concerns about lower-income consumers are compounded by policy uncertainty due to tariffs and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announcements, fueling income and price insecurity and interrupting federal payments to contractors.
The Trump administration's narrative has evolved from the “nothing to see here” to «little disturbances» associated with an economic «detox.»
Soon, analysts and economists will also worry about a negative wealth effect following the sudden plunge in the stock market. This includes the fifth fastest correction for the S&P 500 Index since World