Economy in Brief: March 2021

• Severe winter weather likely curtailed activity. • Production & income and personal spending & housing fall. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's National Activity Index fell to -1.09 during February from 0.75 in January, revised [...]

The U.K. economy has been put through the wringer with its Brexit decision and seemingly endless negotiations, a change in government and then it was sucker-punched by the coronavirus which took hold in the U.K. and then morphed into [...]

• Crude oil prices lead recent improvement. • Metals prices increase strongly. The Industrial Materials Price Index, from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER), increased 1.7% during the four weeks [...]

The EMU trade balance saw its surplus erode in January, falling to €24.2bln in January from €27.5bln in December. Exports fell harder than imports to drive this result. Exports fell by 2.8% while imports fell by 1.3% (both month-to- [...]

• Leaders' gain is slowest since last April's decline. • Breadth of component growth continues to moderate. • Coincident indicators ease. The Conference Board's Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased 0.2% (-1.3% y/y) [...]

• PUA initial claims decline in March 13 week. • Continuing claims in regular state programs extend gradual downtrend. • Insured jobless rate edged back up to 3.0%. Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose 45,000 to 770,000 in [...]

• Headline index jumps to nearly 50-year high. • Underlying strength is widespread. • Prices paid strengthen. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Factory Sector Business Conditions Index jumped to 51.8 during March following [...]

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 continued to assert, "The COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous human and economic hardship across the [...]