Economy in Brief: 2011

The foreign trade deficit for August held at $45.6B versus a revised $45.6B in July, initially reported as $44.8B. Expectations had been for $46.0B, according to Action Economics. Exports slipped 0.1% (+14.7% y/y) following their 3.4% [...]

Initial claims for jobless insurance slipped to 404,000 last week versus 405,000 a week earlier (revised from 401,000). The latest figure roughly equaled Consensus expectations for 405,000 claims, according to the Action Economics [...]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in its Job Openings & Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) that the August job openings rate slipped m/m to 2.3%. The latest reading remained improved versus the recession low of 1.6%. The job openings [...]

The index of total mortgage applications rose 1.3% last week to 744.2 (March 16, 1990 = 100). Applications have risen more-than 80% since their early-year low. The jump has come as lower interest rates spurred refinancing. [...]

Last week the pump price for a gallon of regular gasoline slipped one penny to $3.42. That slip followed sharp declines since late-May that have amounted to fifty-four cents. Retail prices usually start to ease this time of year with [...]

IP trends in the EMU areas have been losing momentum for some time. Their peak rates of growth date back to early 2010. Since then the pace of erosion has been uneven across countries and that continues to be the case. But as IP [...]

Japan's Economic and Social Research Institute Consumer Confidence Survey shows a slight improvement in consumer confidence in September. The index, a diffusion index, was 38.5% a rise of 1.0 percentage point from July and the highest [...]

For chain stores, this month's sales began no better than they finished September. Chain store sales slipped 0.1% last week and reversed the prior week's uptick. As a result, sales began October 0.4% below the September average which [...]