Economy in Brief: September 2020

Many analysts think stock markets are walking on glass or eggshells, but they act like they are walking on sunshine. Alan Greenspan, former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman's best-remembered remark about the U.S. stock market was his [...]

• Factory sector activity expands for third straight month. • Breadth of component improvement is wide. • Price index continues to increase. The factory sector remains on a firm footing. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) [...]

• Construction spending ticked up 0.1% in July after four consecutive monthly declines. • Residential jumps 2.1% while public falls 1.3%. • The 5.3% decline in construction since February looks similar to previous recessions. The [...]

• Gasoline prices increase to March 2020 high. • Crude oil prices improve modestly. • Natural gas prices continue to rise. Regular gasoline prices increased to $2.22 per gallon (-13.3% y/y) in the week ended August 31 after rising to [...]