Economy in Brief: October 2016

Why do things continue to go off-track in the global economy? It is very simple to understand really and one of the main reasons is embodied in the chart and the table. First, let me describe what you are looking at. The chart shows [...]

The Conference Board's Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators rebounded 0.2% (1.5% y/y) during September following an unrevised 0.2% decline. The increase matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The six- [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 260,000 during the week ended October 15 following 247,000 during the prior week, revised from 246,000. The four-week moving average of claims rose to 251,750, near the lowest level [...]

Sales of existing homes increased 3.2% (0.6% y/y) in September to 5.470 million units (AR) following a 1.5% decline to 5.300 million in August, revised from 5.330 million. Expectations had been for 5.32 million sales in the Action [...]

The German PPI has been on the move up. But a funny thing happened in September on that journey; the PPI backtracked and fell. This setback has also blunted the pace of the PPI rise and even the path of the ex-energy PPI. That gauge [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve reported that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index remained positive in October. At 9.7, it was third consecutive positive reading, and followed an unrevised 12.8 in September. It was [...]

During the last 10 years, economic growth has averaged 1.4% per annum, well below the economy's 3-4% growth rates during earlier ten year periods. Nevertheless, it's the second longest period of positive economic growth since WWII. [...]

The chart presents the three main sectors: (1) mining and manufacturing, (2) construction and (3) services (tertiary) as year-on-year growth rates. Since early in 2015, the growth rates of all three sectors have been exceptionally [...]