Economy in Brief

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in its May Job Openings & Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) that the job openings rate remained steady m/m at 2.7% in May. The trend, however, has been sharply upward. The job openings rate is the [...]

The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Small Business Optimism Index slipped during June to a seasonally adjusted 93.5 from 94.4 in May. The figure, nevertheless, was just below its highest level of the [...]

Consumer credit saw a marked monthly gain in May, but the year-on-year trend remained steady. The May total was up $19.6B, following April's $10.9B, revised slightly from $11.1B reported initially. The y/y move, though, was 5.8%, [...]

According to the OECD's trend-restored and amplitude-adjusted indices, Japan and the US point to growth that is firming. In the euro-Area, European growth is gaining momentum. Italy's OECD metric shows positive momentum despite [...]

Consumer credit saw a marked monthly gain in May, but the year-on-year trend remained steady. The May total was up $19.6B, following April's $10.9B, revised slightly from $11.1B reported initially. The y/y move, though, was 5.8%, [...]

German industrial orders fell by 1.3% in May after falling by 2.2% in April. The May drop marks a two consecutive month drop for overall orders. Foreign orders have fallen for two months in a row as have domestic orders marking the [...]

Nonfarm payroll employment during June increased 195,000 (1.7% y/y). That followed revised gains of 195,000 and 199,000 during the prior two months, earlier reported as 175,000 and 149,000, respectively. Consensus expectations were [...]

The U.S. foreign trade deficit increased during May to its deepest in six months. The May deficit of $45.0 billion compared to a little-revised $40.1 billion in April. A $40.0 billion deficit had been expected. A 1.9% rebound (0.7% [...]