Economy in Brief: 2006

The Chicago Purchasing Manager's Assn. reported that its November business barometer fell to 49.9. It was the first month the diffusion index of factory sector activity fell below the break even line of 50 since 2003. During the last [...]

According to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) home prices in the U.S. rose last quarter but the 0.9% gain was the slowest since 1998 and the y/y increase of 7.7% was the worst since 2003. Price declines were [...]

The Chicago Federal Reserve Bank's Midwest manufacturing index fell 0.4% last month and it was the third consecutive monthly decline. The three month growth rate in the index dropped to -6.5% (AR), its worst since 2003. During the [...]

The Conference Board reported that its Index of Help-Wanted Advertising in October ticked up to 30 in October from a downwardly revised reading of 29 in September. During the last ten years there has been a 57% correlation between the [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance jumped 34,000 last week to 357,000 from an upwardly revised level during the prior period. Consensus expectations had been for a decline to 317,000. No specific factors were sighted by the [...]

Personal income for October rose a bit less than expectations with a 0.4% increase after an unrevised 0.5% September gain. The disappointment in last month's income gain, however, was confined to a 3.9% (-8.7% y/y) decline in rental [...]

Personal income for October rose a bit less than expectations with a 0.4% increase after an unrevised 0.5% September gain. The disappointment in last month's income gain, however, was confined to a 3.9% (-8.7% y/y) decline in rental [...]

Industrial production in Japan surged in October by 1.6%, more than reversing a 0.7% setback in September. Analysts polled by major press services had looked for September's decline to be repeated in October by 0.4% or 0.5%, so the [...]