Economy in Brief

Initial unemployment insurance claims spiked to 388,000 during the week ended October 13 versus a revised 342,000 during the prior week, last week reported as 339. Consensus expectations were for 365,000. The four-week moving average [...]

The Leading Economic Indicator index from the Conference Board increased 0.6% last month following a 0.4% August decline, initially estimated at -0.1%. Sixty five percent of the component series had a positive influence on the index [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank reported that its General Business Conditions Index rose to 5.7 this month after gaining to an unrevised -1.9 during September. The figure was the first positive number in six months and it beat [...]

Initial unemployment insurance claims spiked to 388,000 in the week ended October 13 versus a revised 342,000, last week reported as 339,000. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that technical issues account for the recent [...]

UK unemployment measures have begun to bend lower. The drop in the number of claimants in Sept was unexpected. The unemployment rate is at the lowest level in more than a year as the labor market absorbed record number of workers [...]

The Mortgage Bankers Association index of total mortgage applications fell 4.2% last week (+52.3% y/y), down for the second straight week. The decline was led by a 5.3% drop (+60.6% y/y) in applications to refinance an existing loan. [...]

Last month builders began work on more new homes than in any month in four years. Total housing starts jumped 15.0% (34.8% y/y) to 872,000 (AR) from 758,000 during August, revised up from 750,000. Expectations had been for 770,000 [...]

China's e merchandise trade exports rose 3.4% in September from 168.6 Bil US$ in August to 174.3 Bil US$ and were 10.2% above September, 2011. The good news was dampened by an article on the front page of today's Financial Times, [...]