Economy in Brief

U.S. producer prices for finished goods rose 0.8% during January following five consecutive months of sharp decline. Despite the latest monthly increase, however, the year-to-year change of -1.3% was the softest since late 2002. A [...]

The U.S. factory sector remained severely depressed last month. Industrial production during January fell 1.8% after the 2.4% drop during December which was revised deeper from the initial report. Last month's decline about matched [...]

The worldwide recession continued to dampen pricing power last month. Overall U.S. import prices fell another 1.1% during January after a 5.0% December decline that was deeper than reported initially. The latest drop about matched [...]

The UK MFG sector weakened further in February. The total orders index is at its lowest since 2000 as is the export order reading. Stocks of finished goods have never had a higher reading. Looking ahead the expected outlook over the [...]

It now is more than clear that the pace of the downturn in the U.S. housing market has accelerated. The latest Commerce Department figures indicate that in January starts fell to 466,000 (AR), another record low in the series' history [...]

It now is more than clear that the pace of the downturn in the U.S. housing market has accelerated. The latest Commerce Department figures indicate that in January starts fell to 466,000 (AR), another record low in the series' history [...]

The Housing Market Index (HMI) from the National Association of Home Builders ticked up this month after having reached the record low in January. At nine the figure still was, however, less than half the year-ago figure. The index is [...]

While German investors continue to see current economic conditions getting worse, they have begun to be less negative on the outlook. The German government has approved an 80 billion euro ($102 billion) stimulus program to be spent [...]