Economy in Brief: 2017

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City reported that its index of regional manufacturing sector business activity declined to 16 in November following an unrevised October increase to 23. The figure was the lowest reading in three [...]

Total housing starts increased 13.7% (-2.9% y/y) during October to 1.290 million units (AR) following a 3.2% September decline to 1.135 million, revised from 1.127 million. The latest level was the highest in twelve months. A level of [...]

The Composite Housing Market Index from the National Association of Home Builders-Wells Fargo increased 2.9% to 70 during November, adding to its October gain. The index was at the highest level since March, up 11.1% y/y. The NAHB [...]

The chart does a good job of showing what inflation has been up to in the euro area. Inflation troughed in early-2016 after making a brief and deeper but shorter-lived trough a year earlier. In the wake of the recession/financial [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve reported that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index for November fell to 22.7 after a rise to 27.9 during October. The figure was the lowest in three months and compared to a February [...]

Import prices rose just 0.2% in October (2.5% y/y) following September's 0.8%, revised to a bit more than the initial 0.7% initially reported. The October increase compared to a 0.4% rise expected in the Action Economics Forecast [...]

The Federal Reserve indicated that industrial production rose 0.9% (2.8% y/y) during October following a 0.4% September rise, revised from 0.3%. It was the strongest increase in six months and surpassed expectations for a 0.5% gain in [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance increased to 249,000 (4.2% y/y) during the week ended November 11 from an unrevised 239,000 in the prior week. Expectations had been for 234,000 claims in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. [...]