Economy in Brief

The U.S. producer price index for finished goods was unchanged last month after an unrevised 0.2% July gain. The figure compared to Consensus expectations for a 0.1% slip, according to the Action Economics survey. Like July, the [...]

The consumer continues to pull back the reins on spending.Total retail & food service sales were unchanged last month following a 0.3% July gain, revised down from 0.5%. The August figure fell short of Consensus expectations for a [...]

Small businesses increasingly see growth prospects dim. The National Federation of Independent Business indicated that its August index of small business optimism fell to 88.1 from an unrevised 89.9 in July. The latest was the lowest [...]

Divergent forces tear at the Zone - Weaker oil prices should help salve the over-the-top EMU inflation picture. But the 12% drop in the Euro’s foreign exchange value Vs the dollar form December is not going to help much at all. The [...]

The National Australia Bank's, August survey of the business community, released today, shows that their measure of business confidence, a percent balance between optimists on the outlook and the pessimists, is now -7.7%, compared [...]

The pump price for a gallon of regular gasoline fell one penny last week to $3.66. Prices remained down thirty cents since the May peak. Pump prices usually rise this time of year with increased seasonal demand. To account for this [...]

Overall U.S. import prices fell 0.4% last month after an unrevised 0.3% July gain. Consensus expectations had been for a 0.8% decline. Year-to-year, the lower value of the U.S. dollar as well as higher oil prices have raised imported [...]

The National Association for Business Economics reported another downward revision to the U.S. economic growth forecast. For this year, real GDP growth should average 1.7%, versus 2.8% expected three months ago. For next year, growth [...]