Economy in Brief

Chain store sales last week rose 1.1%, but failed to recover even half of the prior week's 2.3% decline, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs Index. As a result, for January so far sales have risen [...]

Chain store sales last week rose 1.1%, but failed to recover even half of the prior week's 2.3% decline, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs Index. As a result, for January so far sales have risen [...]

Germany's ZEW indicator of expectations of economic conditions* six months ahead improved for the third month in a row in January. It is, however, still negative at -31%, and well below its long term average of a positive 26.5%. The [...]

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office currently projects that the government's budget deficit will total $1.2 trillion dollars this fiscal year before falling to $703 billion in FY 2010. However, many forecasts from the private sector [...]

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office currently projects that the government's budget deficit will total $1.2 trillion dollars this fiscal year before falling to $703 billion in FY 2010. However, many forecasts from the private sector [...]

The seasonally adjusted index of industrial production in Japan fell 8.5% in November from October, the largest one-month decline in the entire history of the index that began in January 1953. (See the first chart.) Mining and [...]

The seasonally adjusted index of industrial production in Japan fell 8.5% in November from October, the largest one-month decline in the entire history of the index that began in January 1953. (See the first chart.) Mining and [...]

For early January, the University of Michigan reported that consumer sentiment rose slightly for the second month. The 3.0% rise followed an 8.7% increase off the cycle's low in November. Nevertheless, at 61.9 the latest level was [...]