Economy in Brief: January 2016

Germany's PPI gauge fell by 0.4% in December as it continued a string of weakness. Manufactures prices also fell, extending their string of declines. Ex-energy manufactures prices were flat in December after a series of drops. Oil [...]

Sluggish growth in worldwide economies continues to put downward pressure on industrial commodity prices. The industrial price index from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER) deteriorated by 0.7% [...]

The Composite Housing Market Index from the National Association of Home Builders-Wells Fargo held steady during January at 60 after falling 7.7% during the prior two months. It matched the level reached last June and has moved in a [...]

ZEW expectations continue to cling to weak values. In January the expectation reading fell to 10.2 from 16.1 in December, below November's 10.4 reading and to its weakest reading since October. The ZEW current reading picked up in [...]

The Empire State Factory Index of General Business Conditions declined sharply during January to -19.37, the lowest level since March 2009. Expectations had been for -4.0 in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The data are reported [...]

Overall industrial output declined 0.4% during December following a 0.9% November fall, revised from -0.6%. It was the third consecutive monthly decline and lessened the 2015 increase to 1.3%, its weakest rise in six years. The Action [...]

Consumers reined in their spending for the holiday season. Purchases at retail stores and restaurants eased 0.1% during December (+2.8% y/y) following a 0.4% November rise, revised from 0.2%. For all of last year, sales advanced 2.1%, [...]

The headline Final Demand Producer Price Index fell 0.2% m/m (-1.0% y/y) in December after having jumped 0.3% m/m in November. This was the fourth monthly decline in the past five months. The Action Economics Forecast Survey had [...]