Goldman's Top Economist Answered 10 Questions About 2014 In January - Here's How He Did

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Jan HatziusGoldman SachsJan Hatzius

Goldman Sachs economist Jan Hatzius offered answers for ten key yes or no questions about 2014 back in January.

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And today, he followed up with what actually happened.

Overall, he did pretty well. 

We jotted down a quick rundown of his questions and his self-assessment below.

Check it out:

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  • Will the US economy accelerate to an above-trend growth pace? Yes.
    BROADLY CORRECT - Through Q3, the pace of growth was 2.4% which was above the 2.2% rate during the same time last year. "Our current activity indicator--a summary of 25 weekly and monthly indicators of US economic activity--accelerated from an average rate of 2.2% in 2013 to an average rate of 3.1% in 2014 so far," he noted.
  • Will consider spending growth improve? Yes.
    PROBABLY INCORRECT - Personal consumption growth as of October 2014 was below average, but the data could understate the true picture.
  • Will capital spending rebound? Yes.
    CORRECT
  • Will the housing market continue to recover? Yes.
    TECHNICALLY CORRECT - Recovery did fall short of expectations, but housing starts, home sales, and house prices have been up modestly for the year.
  • Will the labor force participation rate stabilize? Yes.
    CORRECT
  • Will profit margins contract? No.
    UNCLEAR - The ratio of earnings per share to revenue per share rose in 2014, but profit margins in the national income and product accounts declined.
  • Will core inflation stay below the 2% target? Yes.
    CORRECT
  • Will QE3 end in 2014? Yes.
    CORRECT
  • Will the "dots" shift toward a 2016 rate hike? Yes.
    INCORRECT - "Our own modal forecast for the funds rate liftoff has also moved forward, from Q1 2016 as of late 2013 to September 2015 now," wrote Hatzius.
  • Will the secular stagnation theme gain for adherents? No.
    UNCLEAR - The US growth pickup in 2014 reflects a "lengthy hangover" that generally follows a large housing and credit bubble, but long-term forwards for the fed funds rate have fallen sharply in 2014.

That's around a 7 out of 10 (we'll give the unclear's a half point here.)

In markets and economics, 70% correct for one-year forecasts is pretty good if you ask us.