Economy in Brief: 2015

Initial claims for unemployment insurance edged up to 270,000 (-9.2% y/y) during the week ended August 1 from an unrevised 267,000 during the prior week. Claims have been hovering near this 40-year low for three months. The four-week [...]

These foreign trade figures add to the preliminary numbers released last Thursday by including trade in services and by country. The U.S. foreign trade deficit in goods and services during June increased to $43.8 billion after a May [...]

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Composite Index of Nonmanufacturing Sector Business increased to 60.3 during July from an unrevised 56.0 in June. It was the highest level since August 2005 and surpassed expectations for 56.2 [...]

The ADP/Moody's National Employment Report indicated that nonfarm private sector payrolls improved 185,000 during July (2.3% y/y) following a downwardly revised 229,000 June increase. The gain fell short of consensus expectations for [...]

Spain is the exception in July with a total PMI rising. But among the four largest EMU economies, as well as for the EMU itself, the consolidated PMI readings in July took a step back. Among the manufacturing and services sectors of [...]

New orders in the manufacturing sector increased 1.8% during June (-6.2% y/y) following a 1.1% May decline. The rise roughly matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. Durable goods orders rose 3.4% (-3.0% y/y) [...]

The PPI headline in June fell by 0.2%, its first month-to-month decline since January. The headline rate shows a pattern of deceleration in its drop from12-month to six-month to three-month. But none of the components show clear [...]

Gasoline prices at the pump fell to an average $2.69 per gallon (-23.5% y/y) last week, the lowest level since mid-May. This summer's high in prices was $2.84 per gallon reached in mid-June. Haver Analytics constructs factors [...]