Economy in Brief: 2015

The value of construction put-in-place increased 0.6% during September following an unrevised 0.7% August gain. Three-month growth held steady at 7.6% (AR), down from 29.2% in the second quarter. A 0.4% September rise had been [...]

Activity in the manufacturing sector was little changed last month. October's Composite Index of 50.1 from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) compared to an unrevised 50.2 in September. A reading of 50.0 had been expected in [...]

Manufacturing PMIs remains relatively weak. Note the percentile standings posted in the table and also note the period over which these are calculated. These are all comparative readings from the post-apocalyptic economy of the [...]

The Chicago Business Barometer rebounded to 56.2 in October following its sharp September decline to 48.7. This is the highest reading since January. Expectations had been for 49.7 in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The [...]

The employment cost index for private industry workers improved 0.6% in Q3'15 (1.9% y/y), following an unrevised zero change during Q2. The number matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The index for the [...]

Personal consumption expenditures edged 0.1% higher (3.4% y/y) during September following an unrevised 0.4% August increase. It was the smallest gain since January and missed expectations for a 0.2% rise in the Action Economics [...]

The unemployment rate ticked lower in both the EU and the EMU in September. EMU area unemployment now stands at 10.8% with EU unemployment at 9.3%. Both are still high and in the neighborhood of where U.S. unemployment would be today [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance increased 1,000 during the week ended October 24 to 260,000. The prior week's level was unrevised. The figure remained near the November 1973 low. The Action Economics Forecast Survey expected [...]