Economy in Brief: 2008

Led by a 5.9% m/m drop in consumer spending on motor vehicles (-17.8% y/y), personal consumption expenditures fell 1.0% last month. It was the third consecutive monthly decline and was the largest for any month since the recession of [...]

The Insee business climate indicator is plunging. The overall index dropped to 80 in November from 87 in October and now sits in the bottom 14% of its range going back to 1990. It is the 10th weakest climate reading on record. The [...]

The S&P/Case-Shiller 20 Home Price Composite Index fell another 1.8% during September. Since their peak in July 2006, prices have fallen 22.0% -- down 17.4% during the last twelve months. The series dates back only to 2000. The [...]

The Conference Board reported that its November index of consumer confidence recovered a small piece of an October collapse. The rise to a level of 44.9 followed an October decline to 38.8. Consensus expectations had been for a [...]

U.S. real GDP growth last quarter was little revised at -0.5% due to offsetting revisions to final demand growth (down) and inventories (up). The modest 0.5% (AR) decline compared to the advance report of a 0.3% dip and the revised [...]

U.S. real GDP growth last quarter was little revised at -0.5% due to offsetting revisions to final demand growth (down) and inventories (up). The modest 0.5% (AR) decline compared to the advance report of a 0.3% dip and the revised [...]

Haver Analytics has a number of series that may prove useful in comparing and contrasting current conditions with those in the Great Depression.Among them are the annual series of real and nominal gross domestic product, its [...]

During October, U.S. existing home sales reversed most of the prior month's rise and fell 3.1% to 4.980 million, according to the National Association of Realtors. The 3.1% decline followed a revised 4.7% September increase and it was [...]