Economy in Brief: 2021

• Goods trade deficit sets record in 2020. • Services trade surplus declines to eight-year low. The U.S. current account deficit deepened to $188.5 billion during Q4'20 following a widening to $181.0 billion in Q3'20, revised from [...]

The National Bank of Belgium consumer survey shows an improvement in confidence in March with its consumer index improving to -4 from -9 in February. The one-month, three-month and 12-month improvements are all about the same in [...]

• Existing home sales decline to six-month low. • Inventory of unsold homes falls sharply. • Prices continue to strengthen. The market for previously owned homes weakened last month. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported [...]

• Severe winter weather likely curtailed activity. • Production & income and personal spending & housing fall. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's National Activity Index fell to -1.09 during February from 0.75 in January, revised [...]

The U.K. economy has been put through the wringer with its Brexit decision and seemingly endless negotiations, a change in government and then it was sucker-punched by the coronavirus which took hold in the U.K. and then morphed into [...]

• Crude oil prices lead recent improvement. • Metals prices increase strongly. The Industrial Materials Price Index, from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER), increased 1.7% during the four weeks [...]

The EMU trade balance saw its surplus erode in January, falling to €24.2bln in January from €27.5bln in December. Exports fell harder than imports to drive this result. Exports fell by 2.8% while imports fell by 1.3% (both month-to- [...]

• Leaders' gain is slowest since last April's decline. • Breadth of component growth continues to moderate. • Coincident indicators ease. The Conference Board's Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased 0.2% (-1.3% y/y) [...]