Economy in Brief

Initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased last week (ended December 22) to 350,000 following an uptick the week before to 362,000 (revised marginally from 361,000). Consensus expectations had looked for a nearly unchanged [...]

Housing market conditions continue to improve, as home prices firmed further in October, according to the seasonally adjusted Case-Shiller 20 City Home Price Index. This measure rose 0.7% in the month following 0.4% in September; the [...]

Durable goods orders increased 0.7% in November (0.8% y/y) after a 1.1% rise in October. October's figure was revised from the "advance" figure of zero change reported a month ago and the full manufacturing report number of 0.5%. [...]

The Chicago Federal Reserve reported that its National Activity Index (CFNAI) for November improved to 0.10 from a revised October reading of -0.64, last month reported as -0.56. The three-month moving average also rose to -0.20. [...]

The consumer lost the holiday spirit this month. The University of Michigan's Index of Consumer Sentiment in December fell to 72.9 from 82.7 last month. The reading also fell short of the mid-month figure, 74.5. The latest was the [...]

November was a better month for individuals' income & outlays. Personal income grew 0.6% last month following an unrevised 0.1% October uptick. A 0.3% rise was expected. The gain was the strongest since February and lifted the y/y [...]

The Leading Economic Indicator index from the Conference Board declined 0.2% during November following a 0.3% October gain, initially estimated at 0.2%. Fifty percent of the component series had a positive influence on the index last [...]

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that sales of existing homes increased 5.9% in November to a 5.040M annual rate, the highest since November 2009. October's sales total was revised down slightly to 4.760M from 4.790 [...]