Economy in Brief: September 2015

The value of construction put-in-place increased 0.7% during July following an upwardly revised 0.7% rise in June. May's increase was revised higher to 2.3%. Three-month growth eased to 15.7% (AR), roughly half the growth as of June. [...]

The Composite Index from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) fell to 51.1 during August following an unrevised decline to 52.7 in July. It was the lowest level since May 2013. An unchanged 52.7 had been expected in the Action [...]

Economic weakening is real. Oil tried to put on a brave face earlier this week. The rumors of some unspecified Saudi deal swirled. But in the end there is no Saudi deal. And global growth is weak, undermining the ability for any deal [...]

Crude oil prices found new life last week. Following weakness through Wednesday which left WTI crude oil costs at $38.60 per barrel, prices surged on news of weakened production and speculation of more cutbacks to come. For the week, [...]