Economy in Brief: 2012

Throughout the United States, the unemployment rate has fallen to some degree from its recession high. However, there are notable exceptions. In New Jersey and New York, for example, unemployment rates recently reached new highs. In [...]

Orders rose in August for both France and Italy. But growth rates continue to be challenged. For the moment France is keeping weakness away a bit better than is Italy. There are other differences too. For Italy domestic demand has [...]

The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes fell 1.7% last month to a 4.750M annual rate. The decline followed an upwardly revised 8.1% August rise and roughly matched expectations. Sales of existing [...]

Initial unemployment insurance claims spiked to 388,000 during the week ended October 13 versus a revised 342,000 during the prior week, last week reported as 339. Consensus expectations were for 365,000. The four-week moving average [...]

The Leading Economic Indicator index from the Conference Board increased 0.6% last month following a 0.4% August decline, initially estimated at -0.1%. Sixty five percent of the component series had a positive influence on the index [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank reported that its General Business Conditions Index rose to 5.7 this month after gaining to an unrevised -1.9 during September. The figure was the first positive number in six months and it beat [...]

Initial unemployment insurance claims spiked to 388,000 in the week ended October 13 versus a revised 342,000, last week reported as 339,000. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that technical issues account for the recent [...]

UK unemployment measures have begun to bend lower. The drop in the number of claimants in Sept was unexpected. The unemployment rate is at the lowest level in more than a year as the labor market absorbed record number of workers [...]