Economy in Brief

September data for industrial production released today give some indication of trends in economic activity in diverse corners of the global economy--the Middle East, the Far East and Eastern Europe. Industrial production data in the [...]

The Leading Index of the major 7 OECD economies increased 0.4% in September after an upwardly revised 0.1% August gain. Declines during the prior three months were revised slightly shallower. The index's six month growth rate, as a [...]

The Leading Index of the major 7 OECD economies increased 0.4% in September after an upwardly revised 0.1% August gain. Declines during the prior three months were revised slightly shallower. The index's six month growth rate, as a [...]

We've been hearing that manufacturing in India has been picking up steam lately. The service sector has had considerable publicity as it has expanded, but manufacturing hadn't seemed as vibrant. So today, when the Central Statistical [...]

In the 4Q Senior Loan Officer Survey on Bank Lending Practices, the Federal Reserve Board indicated that credit standards for large firms were unchanged during the last three months. That represented a sharp easing of lending [...]

In the 4Q Senior Loan Officer Survey on Bank Lending Practices, the Federal Reserve Board indicated that credit standards for large firms were unchanged during the last three months. That represented a sharp easing of lending [...]

Easing oil prices also helped ease the trade deficit in the UK. It fell to £4.1 billion in September from £4.5 billion in August. The deficit on goods alone was £6.6 billion, down from £6.9 billion. Total exports of goods and services [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance reversed the prior week's jump and fell 20,000 last week to 308,000. Consensus expectations had been for a lesser decline to 315,000 claims. During the last ten years there has been a [...]