US: WaPo - Sen. Ted Cruz Considering Run For GOP Presidential Nomination In '28
The Washington Post reports that Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is considering another run for the US presidency in 2028. If he does run, it would mark his second attempt to win the Republican presidential nomination, after coming in second place behind Donald Trump in 2016. WaPo reports that "Cruz has in recent months positioned himself as a loud voice for a more traditional, hawkish Republican foreign policy. [...] A White House run would be politically risky for Cruz, 55, putting him on course to collide with Vice President JD Vance, who many Republicans expect to enter the 2028 race. [...] Some political observers are skeptical that another Cruz run would gain much traction. He can no longer run as an outsider and alienated some conservatives with his fight against Trump in the 2016 campaign."
- Data from predictions market site Polymarket shows Vance as the strong favourite among bettors to win the GOP nomination, with an implied probability of 54%. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits in a distant second place on an implied probability of 8.5%. Third favourite is term-limited incumbent Donald Trump on 4.3%, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fourth on 3.9%. Cruz is in fifth place with an implied probability of 3.4%.
- During his first Senate run in 2012, Cruz positioned himself as a Tea Party fiscal conservative, anti-establishment candidate, and was one of the political drivers behind the 2013 gov't shutdown. Since his 2016 presidential campaign, Cruz has become more representative of 'traditional Republican' stances on the economy (more capitalist than populist), and as a vocal supporter of Israel, in contrast to some wings of the MAGA movement.
Chart 1. Predictions Market Implied Probability of Winning 2028 Republican Presidential Nomination, %
Source: Polymarket
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RATINGS: Moody's Upgrades Italy To Baa2 From Baa3, Still A Notch Below Others
The Moody's upgrade to Italy's credit rating announced late Friday was the first from the agency since 2002 but shouldn't be considered a major surprise. Among the 3 major ratings agencies, Moody's had the lowest rating on Italy - by two notches (Fitch and S&P both BBB+).
- So this upgrade to Baa2 from Baa3 represents something of a closing of that gap rather than a major breakthrough for Italy.
- From the release:
- "The rating upgrade reflects a consistent track-record of political and policy stability which enhances the effectiveness of economic and fiscal reforms and investment implemented under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). It also points to prospects of further policy actions supporting growth and fiscal consolidation beyond the plan's deadline in August 2026. As a result, we expect that Italy's high government debt burden will gradually decline from 2027 onwards."
FED: Heading Into Its Final Weeks, QT Pace Remains At $20B/Month (2/2)
On the asset side of the Fed balance sheet, we saw a $25B drop in assets, of which just $2B could be attributed to QT in one of its final weeks (ends Dec 1).
- Instead it was a $6B drop in dealer repo operations vs a week earlier, and $17B in "other" areas that aren't related directly to monetary policy and typically don't have any significant impact on the size of the balance sheet (such changes are largely due to items such as bank premises, accrued interest, and other accounts receivable.)
- Discount window takeup edged up $0.3B to $6.1B but remains relatively low.
- QT has totaled just under $21B over the last month, around the expected pace, though as noted this will flatline in December with a pickup in net bills as MBS proceeds are rolled over into T-bills.
LOOK AHEAD: US Week Ahead: Retail Sales, PPI & Claims Headline Thanksgiving Week
A Thanksgiving-condensed week sees data highlights from delayed retail sales and PPI reports for September on Tuesday (Nov 25) before a Wednesday release for weekly jobless claims (Nov 26). Aside, the Fed’s Beige Book should also offer another important update on Wednesday for latest liaison reporting, with no Fedspeak currently scheduled around the holiday and the FOMC media blackout due to start on Saturday, Nov 29.
- As we regularly comment in this weekly publication, Redbook and Chicago Fed CARTS indicators point to solid nominal growth in retail sales, something broadly reflected in analyst consensus for the release.
- PPI inflation will offer a useful albeit not overly timely update on input cost pressures.
- Jobless claims will be watched particularly closely, both for latest initial claims for signs of layoffs and a notable update for continuing claims. The latter covers the payrolls reference period for November and will be an important reference point for FOMC members trying to get a sense of latest unemployment rate clues with the next payrolls reports coming after the Dec 9-10 FOMC decision (going into it with this week’s 0.12bp rise to 4.44% back in September).
