Economy in Brief

The National Activity Index (CFNAI) from the Chicago Federal Reserve rose to -0.13 in July from -0.34 in June, reported as -0.15 last month. The three-month moving average slipped to -0.21. During the last ten years, there has been an [...]

The Leading Economic Indicator index from the Conference Board rose 0.4% last month following an unrevised 0.3% June slip. A 0.2% gain was expected. Three quarters of the component series had a positive influence on the index last [...]

The Leading Economic Indicator index from the Conference Board rose 0.4% last month following a revised 0.4% June decline. A 0.2% gain was expected. Three quarters of the component series had a positive influence on the index last [...]

The EMU trade picture swung from deficit to mounting surpluses and that has been in train over the last 10 months. This month the jump was particularly large as the surplus ran up to €10.5bln from €6.8bln. Month to month exports [...]

The University of Michigan's Index of Consumer Sentiment for mid-August improved to 73.6 from an unrevised 72.3 in July. The latest figure beat expectations for stability at 72.5. Nevertheless, the reading remained well below those [...]

EMU inflation posted a Yr/Yr rate of 2.4% for the third month in a row. And while that is above the ECBs target/cap of 2% the core rate (ex food and energy) has been below 2% (1.9% to 1.8% on a yr/yr basis) since January of this year. [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank reported that its General Business Conditions Index rose to -7.1 this month after gaining to an unrevised -12.9 during July. The improvement roughly matched expectations for -5.0. Haver Analytics [...]