Charting the Global Economy: Robust Data Surprises Less Frequent

(Bloomberg) -- A swift rebound in global economic activity following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions on businesses initially delivered stronger-than-expected results. Now, moderation is setting in.

In the U.S., the world’s biggest economy, the latest jobs report showed employment growth is cooling after months of robust hiring. A gauge of economic data surprises out of Europe has shown the biggest slide.

Here are some of the charts that appeared on Bloomberg this week, offering insight into the latest developments in the global economy:

World

The economic rebound from the virus lockdowns proved much stronger than anticipated, with Citigroup Inc.’s surprise index soaring to record levels in the past few months. But as the third quarter ends, the pace is flagging, and better-than-expected data are becoming rarer.

U.S.

Job gains slowed in September and many Americans quit looking for work, suggesting the economic recovery is downshifting as the country struggles without a Covid-19 vaccine or fresh government aid.

Europe

Sweden has kept its restrictions largely intact since mid-March, offering a glimpse of what that might look like for other European economies who are battling new outbreaks of the coronavirus.

White-collar employees in the U.K. are ignoring their prime minister’s pleas to work from home.

Asia

China’s Greater Bay Area is supposed to rival clusters like Tokyo Bay and San Francisco-Silicon Valley. But distrust of Beijing is throwing up obstacles.

High debt, low growth: Are we all Japanese now? Asia’s second-largest economy holds lessons for the world as the Covid-19 pandemic destroys jobs and rocks whole industries

Emerging Markets

For tens of millions, the pandemic has exposed just how fragile economic status is worldwide. In many ways, nowhere has that been more apparent than in Latin America, where a resurgence of poverty is bringing a vicious wave of hunger in a region that was supposed to have mostly eradicated that kind of malnutrition decades ago.

The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic has taken a greater toll on Mexican women then men. Some 3.2 million female workers lost their jobs in the six-month period through August, or 64% of the total.

Trade

The transatlantic trade conflict isn’t showing signs of winding down any time soon, and a ruling from the World Trade Organization means that a fresh round of retaliatory tariffs could jeopardize the nascent economic recoveries in both the U.S. and the European Union.

Shipowners are facing rising labor costs as widespread Covid-related restrictions limit movement of seafarers and make crew swaps more expensive.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.