Economy in Brief

Consumer confidence in Finland stepped back in March, dropping to a reading of -3 from -0.8 in February. The March reading has a 35.1 percentile standing among data back to 1998 but shows a substantial improvement from one year ago [...]

• New orders growth & employment strengthen. • Prices received & labor costs also rise. • Expectations are little changed, remaining near 2018 high. Manufacturing activity in Texas continued to improve during March. The Texas [...]

Every state is reported to have had positive growth in real GDP in the fourth quarter, but there was a wide range of growth. South Dakota led, with a 9.9 percent rate, while DC trailed all 50 states with a 1.2 percent rate of gain [...]

• Int'l trade deficit sets new record. • Both exports and imports decline. The advance estimate of the U.S. trade deficit in goods widened to $86.72 billion in February from $84.58 billion in January. An $85.1 billion deficit had been [...]

The IFO indexes moved higher in March. The chart plots the indexes while the table presents sector results and aggregate gauges based on diffusion indexes. The graph shows a very strong gain in business expectations and a solid rise [...]

• Total income falls but wage income holds steady. • Spending weakens across categories. • Pricing power moderates. Personal income weakened 7.1% (+4.3% y/y) during February following a little-revised 10.1% January jump. A 7.0% [...]

The GfK German confidence gauge is still quite weak as it posts a headline reading of -6.2 (projected for April). This compares to an historic average reading of 5.2. Place the April reading in its range of values and the current [...]

• Growth continues at a record level. • Component movement is mixed. • Expectations for six months ahead improve. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City reported that its manufacturing sector business activity index rose to a record [...]