Economy in Brief

Reversals and revisions can change the picture of an economic series. Such was the case with the latest construction put in place numbers. Building activity fell 1.7% (+4.8% y/y) in March and reversed a 1.5% February rise. Moreover, [...]

The factory sector continues to shed its past strength. The April composite index of manufacturing activity from the Institute for Supply Management slipped to 50.7 from an unrevised 51.3 in March. The figure slightly disappointed [...]

The labor market is losing forward momentum. That's the indication from the ADP/Moody's National Employment Report which showed a 119,000 rise (1.6% y/y) in non-farm private sector jobs last month. That followed downwardly revised [...]

The price of regular gasoline inched down last week at $3.52 per gallon (-8.1% y/y). That followed two months of decline from a $3.78 per gallon peak. The norm for this time of year, as driving picks up seasonally, is for prices to [...]

There's been a recent turnaround in overall consumer confidence led by those under 35 years of age. The Conference Board's April Consumer Confidence Index rose to 68.1 and reversed its March decline to an upwardly revised 61.9. [...]

The employment cost index for private industry workers rose 0.3% (1.7% y/y) in Q1'13 versus a downwardly revised 0.4% increase in Q4. The rise compared to expectations for a 0.5% gain as compiled by Bloomberg. The latest y/y increase [...]

Home prices are generating improved upward momentum throughout the country. The seasonally adjusted Case-Shiller 20 City Home Price Index increased 1.2% (9.4% y/y) during February and built on a 1.0% January rise. The 3-month [...]

Indices of economic sentiment from the European Commission show declines for the Economic Union (EU) and for the European Monetary Union (EMU) for April. The overall EMU index has fallen for the third month in a row, as has the index [...]