Juggling Dynamite

Danielle was a guest with Jim Goddard on This Week in Money, discussing recent developments in the world economy and markets, as well as the latest Federal Budget. Here is a direct audio link, starting at 11:18 on the playbar.

See Bottled Water Contains More Plastic Particles Than Previously Thought:

Nanoplastics pose a greater threat to human health than microplastics because they’re small enough to penetrate human cells, enter the bloodstream and impact organs. Nanoplastics can also pass through the placenta to the bodies of unborn babies. Scientists have long suspected their presence in bottled water, but lacked the technology to identify individual nanoparticles.

Under the headlines, policy is having to shift away from favouring investors (who tend to be older) to favouring renters/workers (who tend to be younger).

A provincial rule limiting short-term rentals to a homeowner’s principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling comes into force in British Columbia on May 1 in 60 communities. As Zahra Premji reports, 17 additional communities have chosen to opt in to the rules despite being exempt. Here is a direct video link.

Twenty-two US states have seen the three-month moving average of their unemployment rate less the low of the past 12 months rise 50 basis points or more (a ‘recession’ indicator known as the Sahm rule). Since at least 1978, there has never been a time when more than 20 states have seen this degree of unemployment increase without being in a recession.

Another historically inciteful indicator is that once the three-month average of the national unemployment rate has risen 0.3 percentage points (30 bps), the economy has always been either in or about to enter a recession. That, too, was triggered in 2024. Is this time different? DDB discusses this and more in the segment below.

Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO of QI Research, discusses the state of the labor market in the U.S., inflation, and the Fed’s next likely move in response to current macroeconomic forces. Here is a direct video link.