Economy in Brief: 2021

• Core finished goods inflation picks up. • Energy prices surge. • Service price inflation strengthens. The Producer Price Index for final demand jumped 1.0% (4.2% y/y) during March following a 0.5% February improvement. The index has [...]

• Initial claims rise to highest level in three weeks. • Continuing claims ease. • Insured jobless rate remains steady. Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 744,000 during the week ended April 3 from 728,000 during the [...]

The PMI readings for March show improvement again with the JPMorgan Global reading rising to 54.8 in March from 53.2 in February. While the virus stuck over a year ago battering the global economy, creating a sink hole in growth, and [...]

• Exports fall sharply with economic weakness abroad. • Imports decline modestly. • Oil price rise softens import decline. The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened to $71.1 during February following a deepening to $67.8 [...]

• Unexpected jump is strongest in more than three years. • Both nonrevolving & revolving credit usage strengthen. Consumer credit outstanding surged $27.6 billion during February. It was the strongest increase since November 2017. The [...]

• Exports fall sharply with economic weakness abroad. • Imports decline modestly. • Oil price rise softens import decline. The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened to $71.1 during February following a deepening to $67.8 [...]

• Applications for both purchases and refinancing continue to decline. • Mortgage interest rates edged up slightly last week. The Mortgage Bankers Association Mortgage Loan Applications Index fell 5.1% w/w (-3.4% y/y) in the week [...]

• Number of openings and hiring strengthens. • Layoffs & quits rise slightly. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that on the last business day of February, the total job openings rate strengthened to a record 4.9% from 4.7% in [...]