Economic commentary

August Monthly Economic Dashboard

Strong growth during the second quarter pulled real GDP above its pre-COVID peak, ending the recovery and starting the next expansion. While the economy shows solid momentum heading into the second half of the year, the Delta variant may impact consumer behavior while shortages of labor and other inputs are slowing production.  

Drought negatively affecting crops; relief is not in the forecast

Infrastructure bill, grain prices, crop conditions and other agriculture news. 

July Monthly Economic Dashboard: Recovery has ended and the expansion begun, but faster inflation is a concern

Farms struggle to compete for workers during labor shortage

The lack of workers for low-wage jobs is impacting farms, some of which are now trying to fill in the labor gaps by hiring high school workers looking for summer jobs. While the problem of short-handed farms pre-dates the current labor shortage, farms are now having to compete with other industries suffering from labor shortages. 

Shifting consumer spending habits in 2021

In 2020, we saw significant changes in consumer spending behavior, particularly as it relates to household savings and online shopping, that could carry on in the post-pandemic environment. 

Webinar: Opportunities and challenges in the post-pandemic economic landscape

The Nationwide Economics team shared information about the current landscape and insights, followed by a Q&A.