Economy in Brief

Housing starts during all of last year totaled 1.006 million, the highest level since 2007. The 8.0% gain followed double-digit increases during the prior two years. Starts during December rose 4.4% to 1.089 million (AR, 5.3% y/y) [...]

The Composite Housing Market Index from the National Association of Home Builders-Wells Fargo slipped to 57 in January from an upwardly revised December reading of 58, earlier reported as 57. During the last ten years, there has been [...]

The ZEW financial experts contributing to the responses in the ZEW index are upbeat in January. The current index has jumped to 41.2 this month from 32.4 in December; it is stronger only 15% of the time. Since January 1994, the [...]

Prices for industrial materials continue to exhibit broad-based decline. The industrial commodity price index from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER) fell 11.8% through last week versus one year [...]

Prices for industrial materials continue to exhibit broad-based decline. The industrial commodity price index from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER) fell 11.8% through last week versus one year [...]

Industrial production ticked 0.1% lower last month (+4.8% y/y) following an unrevised 1.3% jump. The latest gain was held back by a 7.4% slump (-5.4%) in utility output. The 4.3% average annual gain in total output, however, was the [...]

EMU car registrations fell in December on the back of a decline in November. While that is not a strong ending to the year, 2014 was the first year since 2009 that calendar year car registrations rose in the EMU. Sales rose by 3.6% [...]

Consumer prices continued declining by the most in six years. The consumer price index fell 0.4% during December following an unrevised 0.3% fall during November. It was the largest monthly drop since December 2008 and matched [...]