• Midwest economic activity increases for the second consecutive month. • New orders and production lead gains with employment turning positive. • Expectations also rise further. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City reported that [...]
Introducing
Sandy Batten
in:Our Authors
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| Jul 23 2020Kansas City Fed Factory Index Edges Higher in July
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jul 22 2020
U.S. Mortgage Loan Applications Rise with Rates Remaining Low
• Mortgage applications rose for the third consecutive week with both purchase and refinancing applications up. • The 15-year fixed rate mortgage rate edged up slight after having been falling to a record low in the previous week. The [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jul 15 2020
Empire State Manufacturing Activity Rose in July
Economic activity in New York rose in July for the first time in five months. The Empire State Manufacturing Index of General Business Conditions increased 17.2 in July from -0.2 in June, -48.5 in May and a record low -78.2 in April. [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jul 14 2020
U.S. Small Businesses Optimism Rebounds Further in June
• NFIB Small Business Optimism Index increased 6.2 points to 100.6 in June. • Eight out of ten components rose in June, led by a revival in sales expectations. • Respondents continue to be optimistic about future business conditions [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jul 02 2020
U.S. Trade Deficit Widened Further in May
• The foreign trade deficit in goods and services widened further in May. • Both exports and imports fell in May though by much less than in April. • Trade is on course to subtract meaningfully from Q2 GDP. The U.S. trade deficit in [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jul 02 2020
U.S. Factory Orders and Shipments Rebounded in May
• Factory orders rebounded in May, rising 8.0% m/m, after meaningful declines in both March and April. • Strong gains in orders for both durable and nondurable goods in May. • Shipments also rebounded in May, but more modestly. U.S. [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jul 02 2020
U.S. Trade Deficit Widened Further in May
• The foreign trade deficit in goods and services widened further in May. • Both exports and imports fell in May though by much less than in April. • Trade is on course to subtract meaningfully from Q2 GDP. The U.S. trade deficit in [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jun 25 2020
TT
• • • The advance estimate of the U.S. trade deficit in goods grew to $69.67 billion in April..... The advance international trade data can be found in Haver's USECON database. The expectation figure is from the Action Economics [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jun 25 2020
U.S. International Trade Deficit Unexpectedly Widened in May
• Trade deficit widened to $74.3 billion. • A 5.8% drop in exports more than offsets the 1.2% decline in imports. • Imports of industrial supplies and of consumer goods ex autos rose in May. The advance U.S. trade report showed the [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jun 25 2020
Durable Goods Orders Rebounded in May though Remain Depressed
• Durable goods orders rebounded in May, rising a more-than-expected 15.8% m/m, the largest monthly increase since July 2014. • This was led by transportation orders, which jumped up a record 80.7% m/m but recouped only about a third [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jun 16 2020
Business Inventories Fell as Sales Plunged in April
Total business inventories fell 1.3% m/m (-2.2% y/y) in April, following a revised 0.3% m/m decline in March. The April decline was larger than the 0.8% decline expected by the Informa Global Markets panel. Business sales collapsed [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- 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
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