Economy in Brief

The EMU private sector PMI slipped to 53.5 in January from 54.3 in December. The index is at an eight-month low. Both the manufacturing and services sector PMIs ratcheted lower in January. Manufacturing was last lower in October and [...]

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales jumped 14.7% during December (6.1% y/y) to 5.460 million (SAAR). The rise followed an unrevised 10.5% November decline that reflected new regulations which [...]

The Conference Board's Index of Leading Economic Indicators fell 0.2% m/m in December, following revised 0.5% m/m increases in November (initially +0.4%) and October (initially +0.6%). The Action Economics Forecast Survey had looked [...]

The Chicago Federal Reserve reported that its National Activity Index (CFNAI) during December remained negative at -0.22 following -0.36 in November, revised from -0.30. The 3-month moving average declined to -0.24, its weakest [...]

Current readings from the Federal Reserve districts are painting different pictures of factory sector activity. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve reported that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index for January improved [...]

France's INSEE business indicator is stuck at a reading of 102 in January for the third month running. These values represent a tick lower than the October reading of 103. At 102, the indicator sits in the 61st percentile of its [...]

Job market strength appears to be waning. Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 293,000 during the week ended January 16 (-1.5% y/y) from 283,000 during the prior week, revised from 284,000. The four-week moving average [...]

The pump price for a gallon of regular gasoline averaged $1.91 last week (-7.4% y/y), down from $2.00 in the prior week, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Haver Analytics constructs factors adjusting for the seasonal [...]