New York Fed

Authored by MN Gordon via EconomicPrism.com,

Good cheer has arrived at precisely the perfect moment.  You can really see it.  Record stock prices, stout economic growth, and a GOP tax reform bill to boot.  Has there ever been a more flawless week leading up to Christmas?

We can’t think of one off hand.  And if we could, we wouldn’t let it detract from the present merriment.  Like bellowing out the verses of Joy to the World at a Christmas Eve candlelight service, it sure feels magnificent – don’t it?

As US stock benchmarks smash through one record high after the next – a central-bank driven phenomenon that disproportionately benefits the wealthy at the expense of the middle-class and working poor - booming credit-card debt is forcing more New Yorkers to seek assistance at the city’s food pantries this holiday season, according to a report in the New York Post.

Steve Liesman's Saturday night report that NY Fed president, and former Goldman chief economist is retiring, was spot on and moments ago it was confirmed by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York which today announced that "William C. Dudley, president and chief executive officer, intends to retire from his position in mid-2018 to ensure that a successor is in place well before the end of his term. Mr. Dudley’s term ends in January of 2019 when he reaches the 10 year policy-limit in the role."

World stocks eased back from record highs and fell for the first time in eight days, as jitters about Catalonia’s independence push returned while bets on higher U.S. interest rates sent the dollar to its highest since mid August; S&P 500 futures were modestly in the red - as they have been every day this week before levitating to record highs - ahead of hurricane-distorted nonfarm payrolls data (full preview here). U.S. jobs report will also be released Friday with a speech on monetary policy by the New York Fed chief.