Economy in Brief: February 2010

The Labor Department reported that initial claims for jobless insurance last week made up the prior period's decline with a gain to 480,000. Despite the increase, claims remained near the lowest level since late August, 2008 and were [...]

The Labor Department reported that initial claims for jobless insurance last week made up the prior period's decline with a gain to 480,000. Despite the increase, claims remained near the lowest level since late August, 2008 and were [...]

EMU areas retail sales continue to disappoint. Sales edged up in December and were revised higher in earlier months, infusing the series with some good news to help paper over the month of December’s poor showing. The sequential [...]

Earlier labor market improvement paused last month as announced job cuts rose and hiring plans fell, according to the outplacement firm of Challenger, Grey & Christmas. Their measure of job cut announcements increased last month to [...]

There's been little expansion but less contraction in the nonmanufacturing sector. That's the message from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) for the service & construction sectors. Their Composite Index ticked up to 50.5 from [...]

The beginning of the new year brought an attempt by car-makers to back away from end-of-year sales promotions. As a result, higher prices as well as reduced inventories caused U.S. unit sales of light vehicles during January to fall. [...]

There's no gain in payroll levels yet, but the shrinkage continued to lessen last month. The latest report from the payroll processor ADP, in their National Employment Report, indicated that January nonfarm payroll levels declined [...]

There's no gain in payroll levels yet, but the shrinkage continued to lessen last month. The latest report from the payroll processor ADP, in their National Employment Report, indicated that January nonfarm payroll levels declined [...]