Economy in Brief: 2015

The job market continues to strengthen. Initial claims for unemployment insurance declined to 255,000 (-6.8% y/y) during the week ended October 10 from a little-revised 262,000 during the prior week. The figure matched the lowest [...]

The Consumer Price Index declined 0.2% during September (-0.0% y/y) and followed a 0.1% August dip. Pricing power elsewhere, however, strengthened. Prices excluding food & energy increased 0.2% (1.9% y/y) following two months of 0.1% [...]

Gasoline prices at the pump inched up last week to $2.34 per gallon (-27.1% y/y) but remained below $2.84 in mid-June. Haver Analytics constructs factors adjusting for the seasonal variation in pump prices. The seasonally adjusted [...]

Total business inventories held steady during August (2.4% y/y) for a second month. Revisions to the July figures were minimal. These figures suggest inventories will have little effect on real GDP growth this quarter as in Q2. Retail [...]

The overall Final Demand Producer Price Index fell 0.5% in September (-1.1% y/y) following an unrevised zero change in August. It was the first decline since April. The Action Economics Forecast Survey expected a 0.2% decrease. Prices [...]

EMU industrial production excluding construction (IPxC) fell by 0.5% in August after a 0.8% increase in July. Over three months, IPxC is net lower, falling at a 0.2% annualized rate. Over six months, IPxC is falling at a 1.2% pace. [...]

Overall retail sales including food services & drinking places during September notched 0.1% higher (-5.6% y/y) following no change in August, revised from 0.2%. A 0.2% rise had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. [...]

The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Small Business Optimism Index was little changed during September, nudging up to 96.1 from an unrevised 95.9 in August. The latest figure remained below the high of [...]