iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Unimpressive job creation during September. To find out why and which sectors were most affected, read this analysis from labor market economist Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG US. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Payroll numbers fuel consumer angst in September

Weak job creation.

000

Reposted by Karen Nye

Ben Casselman @bencasselman.bsky.social · 1h

U.S. employers added 29,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2 percent. Data: www.bls.gov/news.release... Full coverage: www.nytimes.com/live/2026/10... #EconSky #NumbersDay

bls.gov

Employment Situation Summary - 2026 M09 Results

64816

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 21h

Construction spending is all about data centers and support for them; think power and water. Read this analysis from KPMG US senior economist Meagan Schoenberger for more information. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Data center construction leads

The base for construction growth is data centers.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Listen to Marketplace morning report to hear KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk talk about the latest economic reports.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

All the revisions muddied the waters a bit but KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk digs through the data to explain why inflation is still a worry, despite the headline surprise on PCE. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Cooler on paper, hot underneath

Benefits are rising so fast they are crowding out wage gains.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Fewer American workers are quitting their jobs, even with such low unemployment (4.1%). Find out why in KPMG US senior economist Matt Nestler's analysis below. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Low quits reveal job insecurities

Fewer quits across industries.

020

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Durable goods orders look a bit better on closer examination. It's all backed by AI. Read this analysis from @KPMG_US senior economist @KenKim_1. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Durable goods headline understates strength

AI played a big role in August.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The housing market is still ailing but there are signs of life. Read this analysis from KPMG US senior economist Yelena Maleyev. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

New home sales rebounded in August

Builders increased discounts.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Listen to Marketplace morning report with Kimberly Adams to hear Diane Swonk at KPMG explain what is happening with inflation and why the bond market has been hit with a fresh jolt.

010

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Take a look at our biannual update on supply chains. Numerous geopolitical factors are forcing changes in how businesses keep their supply lines open. Read KPMG US senior economist Meagan Schoenberger's analysis. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Biannual Supply Chain Report: Five Trends Shaping the Economic Landscape

Rewiring global trade.

010

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Find out why industrial production slowed in August by reading this analysis from KPMG US senior economist Ken Kim. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Industrial production waned in August

Record heat juiced utility production.

010

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The US housing market takes another blow. Read KPMG US senior economist Yelena Maleyev's broad analysis after the housing starts data. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Rate hike hits frozen housing market

Fed starts tightening.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Diane Swonk, chief U.S. economist at KPMG called vote Wednesday “a much needed affirmation of the Fed’s independence,”wrote Nick Timiraos at WSJ. ttps://www.wsj.com/economy/central-banking/warsh-takes-hawkish-turn-with-rate-rise-and-hints-of-more-to-come-d52c6ad9?mod=hp_lead_pos1

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Later tonight watch BBC Business Today with Steve Lai to hear KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk analyze the Federal Reserve meeting and press conference.

010

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Watch ABC Prime with Linsey Davis to see KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk discuss the change in interest rates and the reason why: inflation. Read her analysis first: kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Warsh asserts Fed’s independence

Rate hiking cycle begins with unanimous vote.

010

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

From the economist's viewpoint, reasserting the Federal Reserve's independence was a major point coming out of the press conference today. KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk writes about all the other important takeaways here: kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Warsh asserts Fed’s independence

Rate hiking cycle begins with unanimous vote.

010

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Listen to Diane Swonk of KPMG talking monetary policy with Bloomberg’s Tom Keene, Lisa Abramowicz and Jonathan Ferro.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk talked to Owen Tucker-Smith at the WSJ to help explain that businesses are trying to gauge inflation while they make pricing decisions - just what the Federal Reserve does not want to see. www.wsj.com/business/ame...

wsj.com

Are High Energy Prices Here to Stay? The Economy Has Answers.

Businesses of all stripes are struggling to predict how long high energy costs will last.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Retail sales for August outstripped expectations. Food and drinking places, gasoline of course, electronics (can you say front-running ahead of more tariffs?), even clothing sold well. Find out more from KPMG US senior economist Ken Kim. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Retail sales strengthened in August

Consumers buy ahead of expected price increases.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

What to look for at this week’s FOMC meeting: bets on a rate hike are piling up. Read this analysis from KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Inflation Forces the Fed’s Hand

September's rate hike is expected to be the first in a series.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk sees inflation broadening beyond industry shocks: time for the Fed to act. Read details: kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

The drumbeat of inflation gets louder

Broad-based inflation is harder to dismiss as noise.

011

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Look to the past for a flavor of what's to come in this economic outlook from Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG US. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

The donut economy

Growth holds, but the center hollows out.

000

Reposted by Karen Nye

Diane Swonk @dianeswonk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

That is yet another reason that the Fed will need to raise rates. The bond market is already in disarray & would be much harder on the economy than if the Fed fails to act. The longer it waits, the more it may have to do in the future. Inflation 🔥, adds to inequality & destabilizing on its own.

1184

Reposted by Karen Nye

Diane Swonk @dianeswonk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

the latter tends to get into other prices with a lag and can be extremely broad based. More importantly for the Fed, regardless of what the CPI shows tomorrow, the components that feed into services inflation in the PCE measure of inflation were hot and persistent.

2114

Reposted by Karen Nye

Diane Swonk @dianeswonk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The producer price index jumped 0.4% in August on higher energy prices, in-line with expectations. That is prior to the recent surge in oil and seems somewhat stale. What is more worrisome is where the price hikes were. They were heavily in diesel and heating fuel.

22612

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Watch Fox 32 news in Chicago to hear KPMG US senior economist Ken Kim parse the latest data on the economy: the August jobs report.

010

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Watch Bloomberg TV in one hour to hear detailed analysis of the August jobs report by labor economist Diane Swonk at KPMG US. She says the pressure is on for a rate hike in two weeks.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Watch CNBC’s The Exchange program with Kelly Evans and Steve Liesman to hear KPMG labor economist Diane Swonk’s take on the August jobs report. Hint: Look for a rate hike.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Watch Schwab TV at 10am Eastern to hear KPMG US senior economist Ken Kim go over all the important details in the new jobs report and what that could mean for the Federal Reserve's decision on rates later this month.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Trade deficit widens, led by imports to support AI buildout. @KPMG_US senior economist @benshoesmith has details. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

AI boom drives deficit growth

Mexico is supporting US AI buildout.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Listen to Marketplace radio with Kimberly Adams to hear KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk explains why long-term interest rates, aka bond yields, are climbing.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Newly popular JOLTS data provides interesting details about the labor market. Read more from Matt Nestler, a labor economist on our team at KPMG US Economics. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Labor market holds steady

Pay gap widens between job stayers and leavers.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Looks like the only things being built these days are data centers. See the latest construction spending figures and analysis by Yelena Maleyev, senior economist at KPMG US. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Construction spending sinks overall

Data center construction hits record highs.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

What to make of the big speech at Jackson Hole this morning by the new Fed Chairman? Read this detailed analysis by KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Warsh speaks, markets infer

No hand-holding.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Take a look at what’s expected for the August jobs report next Friday. Labor economist Diane Swonk at KPMG US lays out the factors. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Another negative month? TPS layoffs raise the stakes

Healthcare, leisure and hospitality most affected.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Listen to Marketplace radio to hear KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk explain to host Kimberly Adams why economists worry about “sticky” or persistent inflation.

010

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Watch the program Chicago Live on Fox 32 news with Jake Hamilton to hear KPMG US senior economist Ken Kim explain why the bond market is worrying economists. That's at 130pm Central.

000

Reposted by Karen Nye

Julia Coronado @jc-econ.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Do you see progress? The Fed's preferred gauge of core inflation continues to run hot. Even factoring upcoming changes to methodology leaves core PCE inflation at 3%

14114

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Read the latest analysis from KPMG US senior economist Ken Kim who parsed the data on durable goods to get a read on manufacturing. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Front-running lifts orders

Numbers look good at first glance.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

More on PCE from KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk. She notes, "Inflation is grinding sideways at a pace that is too hot for comfort." kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

No relief from inflation in July

Inflation is grinding sideways at a pace that is too hot for comfort.

001

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Read the latest on the nearly frozen housing market, with info on both new and existing homes. The analysis is from KPMG US senior economist Yelena Maleyev. kpmg.com/us/en/articl....

kpmg.com

Housing market treads water

Builders sold fewer homes in July.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Watch Bloomberg TV at 310pm Eastern, 210pm Central to hear KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk who will share her outlook for the week ahead.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Listen to Marketplace radio with Kimberly Adams to hear Diane Swonk of KPMG US discuss concerns about the latest debt figures.

000

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk talked to reporter Justin Ho at Marketplace radio. She explained how higher import prices add to existing inflation. www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...

marketplace.org

What happens when import prices skyrocket? More inflation, of course

Stripping out the cost of imported energy, imports are about 4.5% more expensive than at the same time last year.

011

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Builders have yet to see the sun break through the clouds in the US housing market. See this analysis by @KPMG_US senior economist Yelena Maleyev. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Home builders are not breaking ground

Builders remain pessimistic.

011

Reposted by Karen Nye

Diane Swonk @dianeswonk.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I was honored to be inducted into the Chicago Innovation Foundation Hall of Fame. Here is a copy of my speech - my dad taught me about innovation and being a rebel with a cause. I hope you see hope in it. acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:...

My award was given to me by the unstoppable Hedy Ratner, who is a personal inspiration. Thank you to Chicago Innovation and the brilliant minds honored with me and in the last 25 years and for all you do to help lift the wings of kids and make Chicago so special to me.

1292

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Read about why retail sales fell short last month. @KPMG_US senior economist Ben Shoesmith wrote this analysis for the KPMG Economics team. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

kpmg.com

Retail sales fell in July

Energy prices continue to pressure consumers.

000

Reposted by Karen Nye

Diane Swonk @dianeswonk.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Retail sales drop 0.6%. Still up 5% y/y July, which is more than inflation but weaker than 6.8% y/y in June. Weakness largest in motor vehicles -June was highest selling rate in 9 months. Sales still elevated relative to earlier in the year. Online specials in pulled e-commerce into June vs July.

193

Reposted by Karen Nye

Diane Swonk @dianeswonk.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Tariffs are starting to ramp back up - inflation effects initially small but complicated by bureaucracy. Most companies who were able to get refunds did not drop prices. The exception was some rollback in mostly grocery prices but starting to see other reports of discounting.

12210

Karen Nye @knyeecon.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Listen to Marketplace radio to hear KPMG US chief economist Diane Swonk explain what is significant about the latest inflation report.

000