Economy in Brief

Last month Germany's ZEW index rose on only one leg while this month it rises on two, as both current conditions and expectations have improved month-to-month. Last month, as the current index advanced to 10.6 in July from a reading [...]

The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Small Business Optimism Index nudged up during July to a seasonally adjusted 94.1 from 93.5 in June. The gain did not fully make up June's decline and thus remained [...]

Import prices increased 0.2% last month following a 0.4% June decline, initially reported as -0.2%. A 0.9% rise in prices had been expected in the Action Economics survey. A 3.2% jump (7.8% y/y) in petroleum prices was accompanied by [...]

Retail sales nudged up just 0.2% last month (5.4% y/y) following a revised June gain of 0.6%, initially reported as 0.4%. A 0.3% rise had been expected according to Action Economics. Retail sales excluding motor vehicles were stronger [...]

Following softness earlier this year, the recent firming of industrial commodity prices indicate that a corner toward improvement has been turned. Friday's industrial commodity price index, from the Foundation for International [...]

Abe's economics (Abe-nomics) is not exactly stumbling, but neither is it hitting the home run that it seemed to be when the program first was launched. GDP in the second quarter is up at a stronger pace year-over-year at 0.9% compared [...]

Inventories at the wholesale level fell 0.2% (+2.9% y/y) during June following a revised 0.6% drop in May, initially reported as -0.5%. A 0.3% decline (+0.7 y/ in inventories of nondurable goods led June's shortfall. Farm product [...]

French industrial production fell by 1.4% in June, a surprising development that was largely unexpected. The optimism gene has spread in Europe; expectations are that Europe has turned the corner and that growth is going to continue [...]