Growth in the U.S. economy was barely positive last quarter. Real GDP improved 0.5% (SAAR, 1.9% y/y), the weakest rise since a decline in Q1'14. The advance was held back by weaker consumer spending growth, a decline in business [...]
- Global| Apr 28 2016
U.S. GDP Grows 0.5% in Q1'16
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Apr 27 2016
FOMC Leaves Rate Unchanged
At today's meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed funds rate was left unchanged in the range of 0.25%-0.50%. The opening line of today's FOMC statement highlighted the mixed nature of recent economic signals. It was [...]
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Apr 27 2016
U.S. Pending Home Sales Continue to Strengthen
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that pending sales of single-family homes rose 1.4% in March (1.4% y/y) following a little revised 3.4% February increase. The March sales volume remained 0.6% below the peak last [...]
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Apr 27 2016
Italian Consumer Confidence Edges Back
The Italian consumer confidence index made a large step back in February; since then, it has hovered at a lower plateau. In April, there was slight further erosion to that plateau. While consumer confidence made a slight step lower, [...]
- Global| Apr 27 2016
U.S. Mortgage Loan Applications Ease; Rates Remain Low
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its total Mortgage Market Volume Index declined 4.1% last week (+12.8% y/y) following three consecutive weeks of firm gain. So far in April, applications have risen 6.4% versus March [...]
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Apr 26 2016
Philadelphia Fed Survey of Nonmanufacturing Business Activity Index Is Little Changed
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reported that its Index of Nonmanufacturing Sector Activity at the company level was roughly unchanged at 17.8 in April versus 17.5 in March. The measure has been declining, however, since [...]
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Apr 26 2016
PPI Inflation Meets Euro Area and Friends
As oil prices gyrate, we continue to see weakness in PPI prices in the EMU and other EU member nations (for now the U.K. is still an EU member nation). However, in March, we do see some evidence of month-to-month PPI increases. [...]
- Global| Apr 26 2016
U.S. Consumer Confidence Disappoints
The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index during April declined 2.0% (-0.1% y/y) to 94.2 and reversed most of a March increase to 96.1, revised from 96.2. The latest figure compared to 95.8 in the Action Economics Forecast [...]
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
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