Economy in Brief

Economic growth in Japan was revised lower in Q4, unsettling markets. But the more topical economy watchers index rose in February, poking its head up above the 50 level to stand at 50.1, signaling expansion. The employment gauge [...]

The Labor Market Conditions Index from the Federal Reserve Board includes 19 indicators of labor market activity, covering the broad categories of unemployment and underemployment, employment, workweeks, wages, vacancies, hiring, [...]

Consumer credit outstanding gained $11.6 billion during January after a $17.9 billion rise in December, initially reported as $14.8 billion. Expectations were for a $15.0 billion increase, according to the Action Economics Forecast [...]

Improvement in the labor market continues firm. Nonfarm payroll employment during February increased 295,000 (2.3% y/y) following a 239,000 January rise, revised from 257,000. The latest advance compared to expectations for 240,000 in [...]

The U.S. foreign trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $41.8 billion in January from December's $45.6, revised from $46.6 billion. This January net result was almost exactly equal to the $42.0 billion expected in the Action [...]

German industrial production shows signs of stabilizing and reasserting growth in the January report. The chart of year-over-year growth rates shows that by sector the year-over-year trends have stopped falling and that capital goods [...]

Improvement in the labor market continues firm. Nonfarm payroll employment during February increased 295,000 (2.3% y/y) following a 239,000 January rise, revised from 257,000. The latest advance compared to expectations for 240,000 in [...]

New orders in the manufacturing sector slipped 0.2% (-2.3% y/y) following a little-revised 3.5% December decline. The fall was the sixth in as many months and roughly matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey for a [...]