Economy in Brief

Total business inventories rose 0.3% in May (2.4% y/y) following an unrevised 0.4% gain in April. The consequent 3-month growth was 3.2% (AR), sustaining April's improved pace. Total business sales in May increased 0.4% (-2.2% y/y) [...]

Total business inventories rose 0.3% in May (2.4% y/y) following an unrevised 0.4% gain in April. The consequent 3-month growth was 3.2% (AR), sustaining April's improved pace. Total business sales in May increased 0.4% (-2.2% y/y) [...]

Gasoline prices increased last week to an average $2.83 per gallon at the pump (-22.0% y/y) and remained higher than the low of $2.04 late in January. Haver Analytics constructs factors adjusting for the seasonal variation in pump [...]

The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Small Business Optimism Index declined sharply to 94.1 during June after an unrevised rise to 98.3 in May. The reading was the lowest since March of last year. The [...]

Import prices fell 0.1% during June (-10.0% y/y) following a 1.2% jump during May, revised from 1.3%. The Action Economics Forecast Survey anticipated a 0.2% rise. Prices of petroleum imports increased 0.8% (-41.3% y/y) following an [...]

Overall retail sales including food services & drinking places during June declined 0.3% (2.9% y/y) following downwardly revised readings of 1.0% and no change during May and April, earlier reported as 1.2% and 0.2%. The June decline [...]

In the current month with overall IP falling, it is the rich getting richer as the big four economies show advances in their national manufacturing IP output. But over the past year it is a different story. It is the austerity [...]

The Federal Government reported a $51.8 billion budget surplus during June compared to a $70.5 billion surplus during June of 2014. A $41.0 billion surplus had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. For the first nine [...]