Economy in Brief

• Empire State Business Conditions Index decreases to 3.5 in January; fourth consecutive monthly decay. • ISM comparable series edges up to 53.0 from 52.9. • Expectations index falls to 31.9 from 36.3. The Empire State Manufacturing [...]

• Import prices rose 0.9% in December as fuel prices jumped 7.8%. • Export prices gained 1.1% with fuels up 8.9%. • Excluding fuels both import and export prices increased 0.4%. Import prices grew a greater-than-expected 0.9% during [...]

Japan's industrial orders were mixed in November with headline orders falling by 1.5% and core orders rising by 1.5%. Year-on-year the comparison is exactly opposite with total orders rising by 1% and core orders lower by an outsized [...]

• State initial claims jump may reflect holiday distortions. • Continuing claims also jump. • Insured jobless rate hits four-week high. Initial claims for unemployment insurance increased in the week ended January 9 to 965,000 from [...]

• Import prices rose 0.9% in December as fuel prices jumped 7.8%. • Export prices gained 1.1% with fuels up 8.9%. • Excluding fuels both import and export prices increased 0.4%. Import prices grew a greater-than-expected 0.9% during [...]

• Deficit share of GDP continues to rise. • Outlay surge still driven by increased jobless benefits. • Personal tax receipts remain under pressure. The U.S. Treasury Department reported that the federal budget deficit of $143.6 [...]

• Energy & food prices strengthened last month. • Pricing power in 2020 remained under control. • Goods price inflation inched up while services decelerated. Retail pricing power remained limited last year. The Consumer Price Index [...]

EMU industrial production rose by 2.5% in November, accelerating slightly from the 2.3% gain in October. Both months are a considerable step-up from the 0.2% gain in September. The past two-month gains put IP on a path to rise [...]