Economy in Brief

Dutch manufacturing IP has just made its third consecutive gain year-over-year. However, overall IP excluding construction (the headline series) is lower year-over-year for two months running. Shorter term trends, those inside one [...]

Inventories at the wholesale level increased 0.8% during May (5.0% y/y) following an unrevised 0.4% April gain. The rise was paced by a 4.4% jump (-16.7% y/y) in petroleum inventories which followed a 3.1% April increase. There also [...]

The National Association of Realtors Composite Index of Home Affordability declined 3.7% during May to 159.7 (-0.9% y/y), down for the fourth consecutive month. The decline was driven by a 4.7% rise in home prices which have increased [...]

Both Italy and France show that broad IP trends are improving based on year-over-year growth rates, as the chart clearly demonstrates. But their short-term trends show very different dynamics. Even the year-over-year trends show very [...]

Initial unemployment insurance claims increased to 297,000 (-5.9% y/y) during the week ended July 4 from 282,000 during the prior week, revised from 281,000. The four week moving average rose to 279,500, the highest level since early- [...]

While overall machinery orders are still falling for two consecutive months in Japan, the more reliable series of core orders that excludes large and lumpy projects is showing steady and strong growth. Core orders are rising at a 25% [...]

Consumer credit outstanding increased $16.1 billion during May following a $21.4 billion rise during April, initially reported as $20.5 billion. It was the smallest increase in three months. Expectations were for an $18.5 billion [...]

The U.S. is seeing its OECD LEI sink as it has been eroding since June 2014. China has been declining since June 2013. The EMU has been on an upswing and is higher year-over-year. Japan has been stuck with a sub-100 reading for 10 [...]