Introducing

Sandy Batten

Sandy Batten has more than 30 years of experience analyzing industrial economies and financial markets and a wide range of experience across the financial services sector, government, and academia.   Before joining Haver Analytics, Sandy was a Vice President and Senior Economist at Citibank; Senior Credit Market Analyst at CDC Investment Management, Managing Director at Bear Stearns, and Executive Director at JPMorgan.   In 2008, Sandy was named the most accurate US forecaster by the National Association for Business Economics. He is a member of the New York Forecasters Club, NABE, and the American Economic Association.   Prior to his time in the financial services sector, Sandy was a Research Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Senior Staff Economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the US Treasury, and Economist at the International Monetary Fund. Sandy has taught economics at St. Louis University, Denison University, and Muskingun College. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in a wide range of academic publications. He has a B.A. in economics from the University of Richmond and a M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from The Ohio State University.  

Publications by Sandy Batten

• 

  USA| Jul 01 2025

  JOLTS: Job Openings Jumped but Hiring Fell in May

  • Job openings increased 374,000 in May, the largest monthly gain since last November.
  • Hiring fell 112,000, the largest monthly decline since last October.
  • Separations fell 71,000, led by a 202,000 decline in layoffs.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| Jun 26 2025

  U.S. Q1 GDP Revised Weaker in Third Estimate

  • The previously reported 0.2% q/q saar decline was revised to -0.5%.
  • Consumer spending weakened markedly to a tepid 0.5% from 1.2% previously.
  • Net exports were still the major drag while inventory investment still made a key contribution.
  • GDP and PCE inflation were each revised up slightly.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| Jun 17 2025

  U.S. Retail Sales Fell More than Expected in May 2025

  • Sales fell a more-than-expected 0.9% m/m, led by a 3.5% decline in motor vehicle sales and a 2.0% drop in gasoline store sales.
  • Sales excluding autos unexpectedly fell 0.3% m/m.
  • In contrast, sales in the control group (used to estimate PCE) rebounded 0.4% m/m.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| Jun 17 2025

  U.S. Business Inventories Unchanged in April as Sales Slipped

  • Total inventories were unchanged in April from March.
  • Wholesale inventories rose for the fourth consecutive month while retail and factory inventories slipped.
  • Sales edged down 0.1% m/m, the first monthly decline in three months, with declines in both factory and retail sales.
  • With little change in both sales and inventories, the inventories/sales ratio was unchanged in April following two consecutive monthly declines.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| Jun 05 2025

  U.S. Nonfarm Labor Productivity for Q1 Revised Weaker

  • Productivity fell 1.5% q/q saar in Q1, down from a 0.8% decline in the advance report.
  • The previously reported decline in output in Q1 was little changed while hours worked were revised up.
  • Compensation remained elevated, reflected in a marked acceleration in unit labor costs.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| May 15 2025

  U.S. Producer Prices Unexpectedly Fell in April

  • The headline index fell 0.5% m/m, the largest monthly decline since April 2020.
  • The core index edged down 0.1% m/m.
  • Final demand goods prices were unchanged while services prices fell 0.7% m/m.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| May 15 2025

  U.S. Philly Fed Manufacturing Index Rebounds in May

  • The headline index rebounded to -4.0 in May after plunging to -26.4 in April.
  • Orders rebounded into positive territory while shipments fell further.
  • Prices paid rose further, and employment rebounded.
  • In contrast, after having fallen significantly since January, expectations six months ahead shot up in April.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| Apr 30 2025

  Employment Cost Growth Steady in Q1 2025

  • Compensation grew 0.9 q/q in Q1, the same pace as in Q4.
  • Wage growth slowed to 0.8% q/q while benefits surged 1.2% q/q, their largest quarterly increase since Q2 2022.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| Apr 29 2025

  JOLTS: Openings and Layoffs Fall in March; Hiring Little Changed

  • Job openings fell to 7.192 million from downwardly revised 7.480 million in February.
  • The job opening rate slid to 4.3% from 4.5%.
  • Hiring was little changed in March.
  • Layoffs fell to lowest level since last June.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| Apr 17 2025

  U.S. Philly Fed Manufacturing Index Plunged in April

  • The headline index plunged to -26.4 in April from 12.5 in March.
  • This is the lowest reading since April 2023.
  • Both shipments and orders fell markedly.
  • Prices paid rose further while employment indicators fell markedly.
  • In contrast, after having fallen significantly since January, expectations six months ahead edged up in April.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| Apr 16 2025

  U.S. Business Inventories Rose Modestly while Sales Rebounded in February

  • Inventories rose 0.2% m/m in February on top of a 0.3% m/m gain in January.
  • February increase was led by wholesalers.
  • Sales rebounded, rising 1.2% m/m, their largest monthly gain since July.
  • With the rise in sales outpacing inventories, the inventory/sales ratio fell 0.7% m/m.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• 

  USA| Apr 01 2025

  U.S. JOLTS: Openings Fell Slightly and Layoffs Rose Slightly in February

  • Job openings fell to 7.568 million from 7.762 million in January.
  • The job opening rate slid to 4.5% from 4.7%.
  • Hiring was little changed in February.
  • Layoffs rose to 1.790 million from 1.674 million.

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief