Economy in Brief: April 2020

• Appraisal of current conditions plunges but expectations rise. • Buying plans falter. • All age groups exhibit less confidence. The Conference Board's Index of Consumer Confidence declined 26.9% (-32.7% y/y) during April to a level [...]

The French surveys have been very weak in April (graph/table). The household survey (table), despite its seemingly mild drop in April, has actually logged the largest month-to-month drop (a drop of 8 points) in the history of the [...]

• Exports and imports decline sharply. • Export weakness was broad-based. • Import declines were mixed amongst product categories. The advance estimate of the U.S. trade deficit in goods grew to $64.22 billion in March from $59.88 in [...]

• Crude oil prices collapsed last week but have rebounded recently. • Gasoline prices fall as drivers shelter at home. • Natural gas prices have been volatile. The spot price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil collapsed to $3.83 [...]

The advance estimate of the U.S. trade deficit in goods grew to $$64.22 billion in March from $59.88 in February. A $53.6 billion deficit had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. Exports of goods declined 6.7% m/m [...]

The advance estimate of the U.S. trade deficit in goods grew to $$64.22 billion in March from $59.88 in February. A $53.6 billion deficit had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. Exports of goods declined 6.7% m/m [...]

• COVID-19 depresses business. • Outlook worsens. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reported in its Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey for April that the Current General Business Activity Index weakened to a record low of -73.7 from [...]

Finland's consumer confidence index has short history, but in the graphic we overlay the longer-lived EU measure of confidence against the Finnish domestic measure and the sharp recent collapse in the recent index is starkly revealed. [...]