Economy in Brief

The Bank of France business indicator took a sharp turn south in February as it dived back below its October 2015 level but above its November 2015 level. Upon seeing its survey results, the Bank of France cut its Q1 GDP outlook to a [...]

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its total Mortgage Market Volume Index notched 0.2% higher last week (20.0% y/y) following two weeks of sharp decline. Purchase applications jumped 4.2% (30.1% y/y) after a 0.6% dip, [...]

Japan's economy watchers index is lower month-to-month with its employment conditions index sinking and the future index unchanged. This index is geared to track the goings on in the services sector in Japan. The rank standing of the [...]

The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Small Business Optimism Index declined 1.1% during February to 92.9 following a 1.4% January fall. It was the lowest level since February 2014. According to the NFIB, [...]

Regular gasoline prices continued to move higher to $1.84 per gallon last week (-26.0% y/y) from $1.78 in the prior week. It was the highest price in six weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The price compares to a 2014 [...]

Consumer credit outstanding increased $10.5 billion during January (6.5% y/y) following a $6.4 billion December rise, revised from $21.3 billion. Action Economics Forecast Survey participants looked for a $17.0 billion January [...]

The Labor Market Conditions Index from the Federal Reserve Board includes 19 indicators of labor market activity, covering the broad categories of unemployment and underemployment. These include jobs, workweeks, wages, vacancies, [...]

German orders fell in January for the second straight month. However, each month the declines were relatively small, and together, they fail to offset the 1.5% order gain in November so that the three-month change is still positive. [...]