Economy in Brief: February 2011

Initial claims for unemployment insurance increased to 410,000 and made up most of the prior week's decline. The earlier week's figure was revised up slightly to 385,000 from 383,000. Nevertheless, claims remained close to the lowest [...]

Pricing power improved last month -- everywhere. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in January, the same as in December, but generally higher than prior months. Consensus expectations were for a 0.3% rise. Core price inflation bumped [...]

In EMU exports are slipping faster than imports and that is keeping the trade deficit in negative numbers. This month Imports fell a bit faster than exports but not by enough to flip the deficit into positive territory. The sequential [...]

U.S. industrial production slipped 0.1% in January after an upwardly revised 1.2% December increase, initially reported as 0.8%. The latest decline disappointed Consensus expectations for a 0.5% gain. The January figure followed an [...]

The U.S. Producer Price Index for finished goods increased another 0.8% last month after a 0.9% December advance, initially reported as 1.1%. Earlier figures reflect benchmark revisions and the latest increase matched Consensus [...]

Japan's three main sectors MFG, Construction and Services have not been making much headway. It is not surprising that Japan's GDP contracted again in Q4. But the Teikoku sector indices which are plotted in the graph above shows a [...]

Despite severe winter storms last month, home building activity improved. Total housing starts rose 14.6% in January to 596,000, the highest level since September. The increase followed a 5.1% December decline that was deeper than the [...]

The National Association of Home Builders reported that their February index of housing market activity held at 16 for the fourth consecutive month; the average for all of 2010. The latest figure remained above the all-time low of 8 [...]