Recent Updates
- China: 70-City Property Prices (Nov)
- Serbia: Labor Cost Index (Q3); CPI (NOV)
- Czech Republic: Mortgage Loans (Q3)
- US: IP & Capacity Utilization, Advance Retail Sales (Nov), ECEC (Q3)
- US: Manufacturing and Composite PMI (Nov)
- Albania: Wage Indexes (Q3); Production Index (Q3)
- Canada: National Balance Sheet & Flow of Funds (Q3)
- more updates...
Economy in Brief
U.S. Industrial Production Rebounds
Industrial production jumped a greater-than-expected 0.6% (3.9% year-on-year) during November...
U.S. Business Inventory Accumulation Picks Up
Total business inventories increased 0.6% (5.1% y/y) during October...
U.S. Import Prices Weaken As Petroleum Prices Fall; Export Prices Also Decline
Import prices fell 1.6% (+0.7% y/y) during November following an unrevised 0.5% October rise...
U.S. Government Budget Deficit Surges Unexpectedly
The U.S. Treasury Department reported that the federal government ran a $204.9 billion budget deficit during November...
U.S. Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims Decline
Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to 206,000 (-7.6% y/y) during the week ended December 8...
by Tom Moeller April 27, 2012
The University of Michigan's Index of Consumer Sentiment for all of April improved to 76.4 versus 75.7 at mid-month and 76.2 in March. The figure compared to expectations for 75.7. The reading of current economic conditions rose from mid-month but fell versus March to 82.9, its lowest since December. The consumer expectation figure held constant at 72.3, its highest since September 2009. During the last ten years there has been a 60% correlation between the level of sentiment and the three-month change in real personal consumption expenditures.
The Reuters/University of Michigan survey data are not seasonally adjusted. The readings are based on telephone interviews with just- over 300 households. Data are in Haver's USECON database. The expectations figure is from Action Economics and is found in Haver's AS1REPNA database.
| University of
Michigan (Q1'66 = 100) |
Apr | Mid-Apr | Mar | Feb | Apr Y/Y % |
2011 | 2010 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Sentiment | 76.4 | 75.7 | 76.2 | 75.3 | 9.5 | 67.3 | 71.8 | 66.3 |
| Current Economic Conditions | 82.9 | 80.6 | 86.0 | 83.0 | 0.5 | 79.1 | 80.9 | 69.6 |
| Consumer Expectations | 72.3 | 72.5 | 69.8 | 70.3 | 17.4 | 59.8 | 66.0 | 64.1 |
