'Our economy is strong': White House tries to tout new numbers ahead of a ‘noisy’ jobs report Friday

10/30/2024 22:28
'Our economy is strong': White House tries to tout new numbers ahead of a ‘noisy’ jobs report Friday

On Tuesday and Wednesday, two new measures of America’s economic health were released. The White House jumped in Wednesday morning to emphasize the positive.

The White House touted two new measures of America’s economic health that offered some good signs and some causes for warning, as Democrats brace for two more critical reports ahead of Election Day.

"Our economy is strong over the most recent quarter," said Lael Brainard, the director of President Joe Biden's National Economic Council, on a call with reporters Wednesday morning as she touted GDP growth.

She also noted that "just yesterday, we saw the biggest jump in consumer confidence since March 2021."

Brainard was quick to emphasize the positive and argue that any concerns are overblown, citing "strong business investment and resilient consumers" and attributing the strength in part to bills Biden signed into law in recent years.

National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden's national economic advisor Lael Brainard. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) · ASSOCIATED PRESS

The comments came after the news Wednesday morning that the US economy grew at a slightly less rapid pace than economists had expected in the third quarter but still showed a robust annualized growth rate of 2.8% in the third quarter US gross domestic product (GDP).

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg before the release had expected a 2.9% rate after the 3% growth seen in the second quarter.

"Today’s GDP report shows how far we’ve come since I took office," Joe Biden emphasized in his own statement Wednesday morning.

The White House touted new data showing consumer confidence rebounding in October, but even the release of that information this week came with a warning.

The Conference Board's consumer confidence index rose to 108.7 "but still did not break free of the narrow range that has prevailed over the past two years," noted Dana Peterson, the board’s chief economist.

Other economic indicators due in the coming days could also be mixed.

The October jobs report due to be released on Friday morning could be unpredictable due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton and a short port strike that are all expected to impact the numbers.

"We anticipate it will be a noisy report," a White House official added on Wednesday of that Friday indicator. "We don’t anticipate that this will in any way impact the underlying trend," this official added.

And on Thursday the closely watched Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index will be released. That is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of prices and will be the last measure on that top of mind price issue before voting ends.

TOPSHOT - US President Joe Biden waits in line inide a polling station in New Castle, Delaware, October 28, 2024. Kamala Harris crisscrosses Michigan on Monday while Donald Trump heads to Georgia -- another of the decisive swing states in one of the closest US elections in history -- after presiding over a dark mega-rally aimed at whipping up his right-wing base. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

President Joe Biden waits in line inside a polling station in New Castle, Del., before casting his 2024 ballot early. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) · ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS via Getty Images

Other independent economists tended to echo the overall White House point that Tuesday’s GDP showed a steady US economy, which is politically important for the campaign of Kamala Harris ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5.

"Though GDP is backward-looking, it sends a clear message that the economy is doing well, and inflation is moderating, good news for the Federal Reserve," Oxford Economics chief US economist Ryan Sweet wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday on the growth number.

"This GDP report today, of course, very positive, but a bit backward looking at this point," added Citigroup economist Veronica Clark in a Yahoo Finance live appearance, adding that "most of this Q3 data we already knew."

And the coming inflation measure, long the dominant issue on the 2024 campaign trail, is likely to show the lowest rate of price increases since early 2021.

Any good news from that release will surely be noted by the White House and the Harris campaign.

“The vice president and I are fighting to lower costs on everyday goods—from housing and groceries to health care and child care—while Republicans fight for more tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations,” President Biden made sure to note in his statement Wednesday.

Ben Werschkul is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

Every Friday, Yahoo Finance's Rachelle Akuffo, Rick Newman, and Ben Werschkul bring you a unique look at how U.S. policy and government affects your bottom line on Capitol Gains. Watch or listen to Capitol Gains on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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