Economy in Brief: May 2016

U.K. retail sales snapped back in April, rising by 0.9% after falling by 0.7% in March. However, over three months, sales are still falling at a 2.6% annual rate, a clear deceleration from their steady nominal path of 1.2% or so over [...]

The National Activity Index from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago increased to 0.10 during April, the first positive reading since January. It still suggested, however, that economic growth was slightly below trend. At -0.22, the [...]

Initial unemployment jobless claims fell to 278,000 (+0.7% y/y) during the week ended May 14, and retraced most of the prior week's run-up to an unrevised 294,000. The decline followed three weeks of increase. The Action Economics [...]

EMU headline prices fell by 0.2% year-on-year. Core inflation registered a gain below 1% at 0.8%, and the trends for inflation are largely lower. Has the monetary game changed or is it the same-old same-old game that the ECB has [...]

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its total Mortgage Market Volume Index declined 1.6% last week (+18.7% y/y) following a 0.4% rise during the week prior. Purchase applications fell 5.8% (+11.5% y/y) after slight [...]

Regular gasoline prices rebounded to $2.24 per gallon last week (-18.3% y/y) after falling 2 cents to $2.22 in the prior week, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Prices were at the highest level since October. The price [...]

Industrial output increased 0.7% during April (-1.1% y/y) following declines in six of the prior seven months. It was the largest increase since November 2014. A 0.3% rise in output had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast [...]

Housing starts increased 6.6% (-1.7% y/y) during April to 1.172 million (AR). The gain followed a 9.4% March decline to 1.099 million, revised from 1.089 million. Expectations were for 1.121 million starts in the Action Economics [...]