Economy in Brief: May 2015

New orders for durable goods dipped 0.5% during April following a revised 5.1% March jump, earlier reported as 4.0%. A 2.5% decline (-5.1% y/y) in transportation sector orders led the total lower as it reflected a 6.1% drop in [...]

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City reported that business activity diminished during May. The Composite index of 10th District factory sector activity fell to -13, the lowest level since April 2009. The Fed indicated that [...]

German GDP is now finalized. It is up at a 1.1% annual rate in Q1 2015 and at a 1.0% pace year-over-year. Both growth rates represent slowdowns from the previous quarter. Perhaps the most perplexing thing about the German economy is [...]

The consumer price index notched 0.1% higher during April (-0.2% y/y) following unrevised 0.2% increases in the prior two months. A 0.3% gain in the core price index (1.8% y/y), however, was the largest rise since January 2013. It [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank reported that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index for May slipped to 6.7 from an unrevised 7.5 in April. It's been near that level all year, remaining well below the high of 40.2 [...]

The Index of Leading Economic Indicators from the Conference Board increased 0.7% during April (5.6% y/y) following a 0.4% March rise, revised from 0.2%. A 0.3% rise had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The [...]

Sales of existing homes declined 3.3% (+5.5% y/y) to 5.040 million (AR) in April after a 6.5% rise during March to 5.210, million, revised from 5.190 million. Sales disappointed consensus expectations for 5.22 million in the Action [...]

The Chicago Federal Reserve reported that its National Activity Index (CFNAI) during April moved up to -0.15 from -0.36, revised from -0.42. The three-month moving average remained negative at -0.23, the lowest indication since [...]