Economy in Brief

If the e-Zone trade numbers are telling, and I think that they are, EMU is going nowhere fast. Exports across categories have fallen in EMU in December. The growth rates show export growth getting increasingly weaker over shorter [...]

The rate of job market improvement picked up a bit last month. Payroll employment gained 236,000 (1.5% y/y) after a 119,000 January increase (revised from 157,000) and a 219,000 December rise (revised from 196,000). Consensus had been [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to 340,000 (-9.1% y/y) during the week ended March 2 versus 347,000 a week earlier (revised from 344,000). Consensus expectations were for 355,000 claims. The four week moving average of [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to 340,000 (-9.1% y/y) during the week ended March 2 versus 347,000 a week earlier (revised from 344,000). Consensus expectations were for 355,000 claims. The four week moving average of [...]

The consumer is showing an aggressive interest in borrowing, according to the Federal Reserve. Consumer credit outstanding grew at a $16.1B annual rate during January following a little-revised $15.1B December gain. Consensus [...]

Credit market borrowing picked up in Q4, according to the Federal Reserve's quarterly Flow-of-Funds accounts, reaching a $2,246 billion seasonally adjusted annual rate, close to three times the Q3 pace of $796 billion. All three major [...]

Nonfarm business sector productivity for Q4'12 declined 1.9% (SAAR, +0.6% y/y). That was hardly revised from the preliminary report of a 2.0% drop so it helped drive up costs. For the year productivity grew 0.7%, the same as in 2011. [...]

German orders fell in January damping a good bit of optimism that had been growing about how Germany is turning it all around. Its PMI readings form Markit have improved and are showing expansion this month-real strength in domestic [...]