Economy in Brief

The Empire State Factory Index of General Business Conditions remained negative for the fourth consecutive month during November. The reading of -10.74 compared to an unrevised -11.36 in October. These diffusion indexes were nearly [...]

Overall retail sales including food services & drinking places in October edged 0.1% higher (1.8% y/y) following no change during the prior two months. September was revised from +0.1%. A 0.3% rise had been expected in the Action [...]

Total business inventories increased 0.3% during September (2.4% y/y) following a 0.1% August rise. It was the strongest monthly gain in three months but left y/y growth of 2.4% at its lowest since 2010. Retail inventories jumped 0.8% [...]

The overall Final Demand Producer Price Index fell 0.4% during October (-1.6% y/y) following an unrevised 0.5% September decline. The Action Economics Forecast Survey expected a 0.2% increase. Prices excluding food & energy were off [...]

EMU shows year-over-year GDP in a ramp up in growth to 1.6% in Q3 from 1.5% in Q2 and 1.2% in Q1. Yet, five of ten EMU member in the table saw year-over-year GDP growth decelerate in Q3 from Q2; only The Netherlands decelerated in Q2. [...]

Overall retail sales including food services & drinking places in October edged 0.1% higher (1.8% y/y) following no change during the prior two months. September was revised from +0.1%. A 0.3% rise had been expected in the Action [...]

The U.S. Treasury Department reported a $136.5 billion budget deficit during October, deeper than the $121.7 billion deficit twelve months earlier A $127.5 billion deficit had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. [...]

The job openings rate rose to 3.7% during September from 3.6% during August. The latest figure compared to 3.2% one year earlier and remained near the highest level of the economic recovery. The private sector job openings rate of [...]