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

• Global| Jun 09 2020

  U.S. Small Businesses Optimism Rebounds in May

  • NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rebounded to 94.4 in May from a seven-year low in April. • Eight out of ten components rose in May. • Respondents are optimistic about future business conditions and expect the recession to be [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| Jun 04 2020

  TTTTTTTTTTTTT

  • • PREVIOUS>>>>>Productivity in the nonfarm business sector during Q1'20 fell 2.5% (SAAR) ......... The productivity & cost figures are available in Haver's USECON database. Productivity & Costs (SAAR, %) Q1'20 Q4'19 Q3'19 Q1 Y/Y [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| Jun 04 2020

  U.S. Productivity and Unit Labor Costs Revised Up for Q1'20

  • Output per hour revised up on weaker hours worked. • Unit labor costs revised up on higher compensation. Productivity in the nonfarm business sector during Q1'20 was revised up to a 0.9% q/q (SAAR) decline from the initially [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| Jun 03 2020

  TT

  • • • Mirroring the weakness reported last month for durable goods orders and industrial production, each component of factory sector activity declined in March. Factory orders dropped 10.3% (-11.4% y/y) during March.... The factory [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| Jun 03 2020

  Even Larger Decline in U.S. Factory Orders and Shipments in April

  • A second large factory orders decline led by durable goods. • Shipments fall even more in April than in March. • Inventory liquidation continues--in nondurable goods. U.S. factory orders and shipments posted even larger declines in [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| May 28 2020

  TT

  • Durable goods orders weaken 14.4% in March............... • • Manufacturers' orders for durable goods fell 14.4% last month (-16.0% y/y)............ The durable goods figures are available in Haver's USECON database. The Action [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| May 28 2020

  Durable Goods Orders Collapsed Further in April

  • Durable goods orders collapsed 17.2% m/m in April, the largest decline since August 2014, on top of a downwardly revised 16.6% m/m drop in March. • Transportation orders plummeted 47.3% m/m after a 43.1% m/m fall in March. • Both [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| May 26 2020

  NEW TT

  • • • Sales of new single-family homes plummeted 15.4% in March to 627,000 units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (-9.5% year-on-year)... New home sales activity and prices are available in Haver's USECON database, while MBA loan [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| May 26 2020

  New Home Sales Surprise with Increase in April

  • New single-family edged up 0.6% m/m in April to 623,000, counter to expectations, with downward revisions to February and March. • Though down meaningfully so far this year, sales are still well above late-2018 lows. • Mortgage [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| May 15 2020

  TT

  • • • The Empire State Manufacturing Index of General Business Conditions collapsed to -78.2 in April.............. The Empire State figures are diffusion indexes, which are calculated by subtracting the percentage of respondents [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| May 15 2020

  Empire State Manufacturing Index Rebounds in May But Still Depressed

  The Empire State Manufacturing Index of General Business Conditions rebounded to -48.5 in May from the record collapse to -78.2 in April. As bad as the May figure was, it was considerably above the Action Economics Forecast panel's [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief
• Global| May 13 2020

  U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Continue to Fall

  • Initial claims fall to another pandemic low. • State continuing claims and insured unemployment rate edged down. • PUA and PEUC continuing claims rose. Initial claims for unemployment insurance declined to 473,000 in the week ended [...]

  by:Sandy Batten

  |in:Economy in Brief