Economy in Brief: March 2020

Wholesale inventories fell 0.4% m/m (+0.4% y/y) in January on top of a 0.3% m/m decline in December). Apparently reflecting the 0.2% m/m decline in the advance report, the Informa Global Markets Survey anticipated a 0.2% decline in [...]

• The trade deficit in goods and services narrowed to $45.3 billion in January from $48.6 billion in December. • Exports of goods and services slipped 0.4% m/m while imports fell 1.6% m/m. The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services [...]

The job market firmed in February. Nonfarm payroll employment increased 273,000 (1.6% y/y), repeating January's increase which was revised from 225,000. The December increase also was upwardly revised to 184,000 from 147,000. A [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell 3,000 to 216,000 (-0.9% y/y) in the week ended February 29 from an unrevised 219,000 in the prior week. The February 29 result was slightly lower than the Action Economics Forecast Survey [...]

In the euro area inflation remains well under the ECB’s just-less-than-2% objective. Globally inflation has been tame as the economic outlook has been pulled back. Oil prices have pulled back as well as the OPEC is resorting to some [...]

Factory orders decreased 0.5% (-0.8% y/y) during January following a 1.9% December jump. This was the second monthly decline in the last three months. The Action Economics Forecast Survey expected a 0.1% slip. Durable goods orders [...]

Productivity in the nonfarm business sector during Q4'19 increased 1.2% (SAAR), close to expectations, after a little-changed 0.3% Q3 decline. The Q4 gain was revised from 1.4%. Earlier figures also were revised. The latest increase [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell 3,000 to 216,000 (-0.9% y/y) in the week ended February 29 from an unrevised 219,000 in the prior week. The February 29 result was slightly lower than the Action Economics Forecast Survey [...]