Bull vs. Bear: Who Has the Economy Right?

From markets to real estate to the dollar to retail, the data on whether the economy is recovering or not is hella confused.

For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.

This episode is sponsored by Bitstamp and Ciphertrace.

The economy is nothing if not confounding right now.

Across every domain, from real estate to oil to retail, there are bull signals and bear signals.

See also: 6 Things Jobless Claims Tell Us About the State of the Real Economy

Signals we're tracking:

• Markets - strong stock recovery vs. growth in cash deposits
• Employment - growth in jobs vs. persistent continuing jobless claims
• Retail - growth in foot traffic vs. demand destruction
• Oil - growth in demand (but not in economically productive diesel)
• Real estate - surge in mortgage applications vs. worst home sales since 2010
• Dollar - declining confidence vs. there is no alternative
• COVID-19 - reduced death rates in the U.S. vs. growing caseload

What’s the answer? Is this just a narrative mirage recovery? Listen and find out.

See also: 5 Numbers That Tell the Story of Markets Right Now

For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.