Economy in Brief

German orders are FLAT in April: what’s so good about that? German orders have been decimated over the past year with only two month-to-month gains in the past twelve months against a slew of huge month-to-month declines. This month’s [...]

German orders are FLAT in April: what’s so good about that? German orders have been decimated over the past year with only two month-to-month gains in the past twelve months against a slew of huge month-to-month declines. This month’s [...]

For the second month in a row there was a rise in the April estimate of the OECD composite leading indicator for all 29 countries, suggesting that, on average, the pace of economic deterioration may be slowing in the major [...]

For the second month in a row there was a rise in the April estimate of the OECD composite leading indicator for all 29 countries, suggesting that, on average, the pace of economic deterioration may be slowing in the major [...]

Shifting trends - The chart above is a classic example of shifting trends. While the central banks tend to focus on yr/yr prices viewing those changes are more ‘reliable,’ there is no doubt that shorter measures give more up to data. [...]

The May figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated moderation in the rate of job loss, though the labor market remains quite weak. Nonfarm payrolls fell 345,000 last month and that was the smallest monthly decline since [...]

The May figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated moderation in the rate of job loss, though the labor market remains quite weak. Nonfarm payrolls fell 345,000 last month and that was the smallest monthly decline since [...]

EMU area retail sales volume is still eroding but at a slow pace. The volume drop in the past three months was just 0.2% per month Retail sales have been declining in the Area but have not been as weak as in the US. Passenger car [...]