Economy in Brief: 2008

The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated in its Job Openings & Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report for August that the number of job openings fell 6.1% (-21.2% y/y) from July. The drop followed a 0.1% downtick during July and since [...]

According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, chain store sales inched up 0.1% last week after the prior week's 0.2% dip. The level of sales in early October were 0.9% below the September average which fell 1.9% from [...]

For a gallon of regular gasoline, the retail price fell by a nickel last week to the lowest level since mid-April. According to the U.S. Department of Energy survey, at an average of $3.48 per gallon gasoline prices are down 63 cents [...]

For a gallon of regular gasoline, the retail price fell by a nickel last week to the lowest level since mid-April. According to the U.S. Department of Energy survey, at an average of $3.48 per gallon gasoline prices are down 63 cents [...]

Stock prices in Europe, Japan and the emerging markets appear to have moved in lock step with those in North America over the past year as shown in the first chart that plots Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) daily stock [...]

As we sit in the middle of a growing financial crisis exchange rates position countries in specific competitiveness cohorts. Much of what has transpired in the past few years has been framed importantly by those exchange rate [...]

The so-called misery index is a constructed U.S. business cycle indicator. It adds the year-to-year change in the CPI to the unemployment rate. Thus, for those who are employed it measures the degree to which their incomes are being [...]

The so-called misery index is a constructed U.S. business cycle indicator. It adds the year-to-year change in the CPI to the unemployment rate. Thus, for those who are employed it measures the degree to which their incomes are being [...]