Economy in Brief: April 2021

• Cash payments, vaccinations and reduced business restrictions lift consumer spending. • Business investment surges, again • Price index is lifted by energy and housing. Trillions of dollars in government aid as well as widespread [...]

• Both initial state claims and PUA claims fell to pandemic lows. • Continuing state claims essentially unchanged at pandemic low. • Continuing claims for PUA and PEUC benefits both decline. Initial claims for unemployment insurance [...]

The Federal Reserve left the target for the Fed funds rate in a range of 0.00% to 0.25% at today's meeting of the FOMC. The Fed continued to assert, "The COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous human and economic hardship across the [...]

Rod Stewart famously sang 'every picture tells a story, don't it?' Bad grammar aside, the saying is true just as it's true that a picture is 'worth a thousand words'...and that expression pre-dates 'Word' and its ability to [...]

• Foreign trade deficit increases as economy improves. • Exports and imports reversed earlier declines. The advance estimate of the U.S. trade deficit in goods widened to a record $90.59 billion during March from $87.07 billion in [...]

• Refinancing & purchase applications fall. • Mortgage interest rates continue to ease. The Mortgage Bankers Association Mortgage Loan Applications Index weakened 2.5% (-3.5% y/y) in the week ended April 23, following declines during [...]

Consumer confidence in Italy (NSA) fell back in April to 98.1 from 101.7 in March for its second monthly decline in a row. The confidence gauge is lower on a net basis over three months as well as over 12 months. Its April level of [...]

Consumer confidence in Italy (NSA) rose back in April to 102.3 from 100.9 in March. The confidence gauge is lower on a net basis over three months as well as over 13 months (since 12-month ago data are missing). Its April level of [...]