Economy in Brief

• Total starts increase to nine-month high. • Single-family housing starts improve to highest level since April 2007. • Building permits strengthen. Home building remains notably robust, spurred by record low interest rates. Housing [...]

• Headline index falls 15 points to lowest level since spring low. • Component declines are broad-based. • Expectations mixed. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reported that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index [...]

• State and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance initial claims rise for second consecutive week. • PUA and PEUC continuing claims increase, state programs decline. • Absent action, 14.0 million PUA and PEUC claimants will lose [...]

• Total starts increase to nine-month high. • Single-family housing starts improve to highest level since April 2007. • Building permits strengthen. Home building remains notably robust, spurred by record low interest rates. Housing [...]

The Federal Reserve left the target for the Fed funds rate in a range of 0.00% to 0.25% at today's meeting of the FOMC. The Fed indicated that, "The COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous human and economic hardship across the United [...]

• Housing market activity weakens after increasing for seven consecutive months. • Number of prospective buyers falls from record level. • Activity in each region declines. The Composite Housing Market Index from the National [...]

• Consumers pull back spending as coronavirus cases increase. • New business restrictions and limits to store access grow. • Spending weakness is widespread. Total retail sales including food service & drinking establishments declined [...]

• Business inventories increased 0.7% in October still 3.2% below February level. • Sales gain 0.9%, now 0.9% above January peak. • Inventory-to-Sales ratio edges down to six-year low of 1.31. Total business inventories grew 0.7% in [...]