Economy in Brief

The industrial commodity price index from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER) moved in a narrow range during the last month. Erratic sideways movement also is in evidence for most of this year, as [...]

Gasoline prices jumped 2.0% last week to an average $2.84 per gallon at the pump (-23.1% y/y). They were at the highest level since November, up from the low of $2.04 late in January. Haver Analytics constructs factors adjusting for [...]

Housing starts during May declined 11.1% to a 1.036 million annual rate (+4.6% y/y), following a revised 22.1% rise to 1.165 million units, last month reported as 1.135 mil. May's figure fell short of expectations for 1.095 million [...]

The Composite Housing Market Index from the National Association of Home Builders-Wells Fargo increased during June to 59 (20.4% y/y) following an unrevised decline to 54 in May. It was the highest level in nine months and exceeded [...]

Overall industrial output fell 0.2% during May (+1.4% y/y) following a 0.5% drop in April, initially reported as -0.3%. A 0.2% rise in production had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. Manufacturing sector [...]

The Empire State Factory Index of General Business Conditions slipped to -1.98 during June after modest improvement to 3.09 in May. The latest figure from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York was its lowest level since January 2013, [...]

EMU exports rose as imports fell in April, propelling the trade surplus to a gain over its March level. The surplus is now at a new high in this cycle. EMU exports are showing sequentially stronger growth rates with export growth over [...]

The overall Final Demand Producer Price Index rebounded 0.5% during May (-1.1% y/y) following an unrevised 0.4% April decline. It was the largest increase since September 2012. A 0.4% rise was expected in the Action Economics Forecast [...]