Economy in Brief

• Job gains held back as coronavirus spreads. • Earnings growth picks up. • Jobless rate declines to eight-month low. The rate of labor market improvement has slowed following an initial bounce-back from recession declines. Nonfarm [...]

• Factory orders rise for a sixth straight month. • Shipments extend uptrend. • Order backlogs continue to decline while inventories turn modestly higher. Manufacturing activity expanded further in October, with new orders increasing [...]

German orders (presented in real terms) have risen month-to-month for six months in a row and now for the first time in that stretch orders also are higher on balance over 12 months. Orders were last higher over 12 months back in [...]

• Job gains held back as coronavirus spreads. • Earnings growth picks up. • Jobless rate declines to eight-month low. The rate of labor market improvement has slowed following an initial bounce-back from recession declines. Nonfarm [...]

• Trade Deficit increases to $63.1 billion in October. • Exports grow 2.2%; Imports rise 2.1%. • Exports remain 13.2% below February level; imports down just 0.6%. The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened to $63.1 billion [...]

When the virus goes viral Once again anti-virus policies have hammered the global economy. China is the only exception. The ranking column is the starkest reminder of how the service sector is pressured. Only China where the virus [...]

• Service sector activity weakened to six-month low. • Component activity remained mixed. • Pricing power strengthened. The Composite Index of Services Activity from the Institute for Supply Management eased to 55.9 during November [...]

• State initial claims at lowest level in three weeks. • Continuing claims fall to lowest level since late-March. • Pandemic unemployment assistance remains down from earlier highs. • Insured unemployment rate continues downtrend. [...]