Economy in Brief: August 2018

The Conference Board's Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased 0.6% (6.3% y/y) during July. The improvement followed an unrevised 0.5% June gain and an upwardly revised 0.1% uptick. A 0.4% increase had been expected [...]

U.K. retail sales are advancing and accelerating on the heels of a rebound in sales in Germany. It's an unlikely development as the U.K. faces all sorts of challenges including a program of rate hikes from the BOE, ongoing concerns [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased to 212,000 during the week ended August 11 from 214,000 the week before, which was revised up by 1,000. The Action Economics Forecast Survey called for a 215,000 reading. The four- [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve reported that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index declined sharply to 11.9 during August following a July increase to 25.7. It was the weakest reading since November 2016. The decline [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased to 212,000 during the week ended August 11 from 214,000 the week before, which was revised up by 1,000. The Action Economics Forecast Survey called for a 215,000 reading. The four- [...]

Start-up activity in the housing market remained under pressure during July. Total housing starts rose 0.9% last month (-1.4% y/y) to 1.168 million (SAAR). That followed a 12.9% decline in June to 1.158 million, revised from 1.173 [...]

The Federal Reserve reported that industrial production increased 0.6% (3.8% y/y) during June following a 0.5% May decline............ Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress by Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome H. [...]

Output per hour in the nonfarm business sector grew at a healthier-than expected 2.9% seasonally adjusted annual rate in Q2'18 (1.3% year-on-year), following a slightly downwardly revised 0.3% gain in Q1. In Q4'17 productivity [...]