Economy in Brief: March 2016

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas indicated that industrial activity in the state continued to deteriorate this month, but the rate of decline lessened. The measure of general business activity of -13.6 was the smallest negative [...]

Regular gasoline prices rose, on average, last week to $2.07 per gallon (-15.6% y/y) from $2.01 in the prior week. It was the highest price in four months, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The price compares to a 2014 high [...]

The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index during March increased 2.3% (-5.1% y/y) to 96.2 from 94.0 in February, revised from 92.2. The latest figure compared to an expected 93.5 in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. During [...]

Not seasonally adjusted Japanese retail sales rose, but after seasonal adjustment they fell and on that basis they are progressively weakening from 12-months to six-months to three-months. All those growth rates on seasonally adjusted [...]

The National Association for Business Economics projects 2.4% real economic growth in the U.S. next year following a 2.2% estimate for 2016, which was revised down from 2.6% projected in December. The gains follow a 2.4% rise in both [...]

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that pending sales of single-family homes rose 3.5% in February (0.7% y/y) and recovered January's 3.0% decline, initially reported as -2.5%. The February sales volume was 1.9% below [...]

Personal consumption expenditures during February increased a minimal 0.1% (3.8% y/y) for the third consecutive month. January's gain was revised from 0.5%. The latest rise matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. [...]

French consumer confidence fell to 94 in March from 95 in February. The index has a weak 35th percentile standing at its March level (it is this weak or weaker 35% of the time). Living condition assessments for the past 12 months as [...]