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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Markets
The stock market has dipped sharply in the early days of Donald Trump’s second term as president, the deepest sell-off since the early days of Barack Obama’s first term, at the height of the global financial crisis.
The Vix index is a measure of investor expectations for volatility in the US stock market over the next 30 days. The index’s long-term average is slightly below 20. Levels above 25 point to expectations of heightened turbulence, implying daily swings of more than 1.5 per cent in the S&P 500. A rise in the Vix above 30 is typically associated with extreme volatility and has only happened a handful times in the past few years.
The US dollar index is a measure of the value of the currency relative to a basket of other currencies. The index heads upwards when the dollar strengthens against these currencies and downwards when it weakens.
Economy
The US has outpaced its G7 peers in economic growth in both the short term and longer term.
Annual change in US CPI peaked at 9 per cent in 2022, placing it in the middle of the G7 pack, but inflation remains stubbornly sticky.
Industrial production has been sluggish and sentiment in the industry has vacillated in recent years.
Federal employment features cyclical jumps due to the decennial census, but still represents a small share of overall employment.
Additional development by Caroline Nevitt and Eade Hemingway

