Economy in Brief

• Total application volume fell to lowest level since January 2020. • Applications for both purchase and refinance declined. • Rates on fixed-rate mortgages generally edged down, rates on adjustable-rate loans jumped. The Mortgage [...]

• Gasoline prices hit nearly seven-year high. • Crude oil prices add to recent gains. • Natural gas prices unchanged. Retail gasoline prices rose to $3.09 per gallon (+42.2% y/y) in the week ended June 28, the highest price since [...]

The EU Commission indexes have been making a huge move to higher ground for the last several months. In June we are looking at the highest EU Commission index for the EMU in over 20 years. This should help to establish the case that [...]

• Confidence reaches thirteen-month high. • Improvement is logged in current conditions and expectations. • Job market indexes continue to strengthen. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index jumped 6.1% this month to 127.3 [...]

• Home price appreciation accelerates. • Record price increases are logged m/m and y/y. • Double-digit annual gains spread across the country. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index surged 1.8% (15.7 % y/y) during [...]

• Gasoline prices hit nearly seven-year high. • Crude oil prices add to recent gains. • Natural gas prices unchanged. Retail gasoline prices rose to $3.09 per gallon (+42.2% y/y) in the week ended June 28, the highest price since [...]

Consumer confidence in Finland rose to 4.6 in June from 2.7 in May. This reading compared to a 12-month average of -1.9. Confidence has been on an upswing from that 12-month average to 1.1 over six months and to 2.7 over three months. [...]

• Current production & orders growth pick up; employment remains strong. • Pricing power strengthens. The Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey, conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, indicated that its General Business [...]