Economy in Brief

• Housing affordability jumps to its highest rate since March 2016. • Strength in home prices is offset by improvement in income & lower mortgage rates. The National Association of Realtors reported that its Fixed Rate Mortgage [...]

• Oil prices reverse part of April's decline. • Nonoil prices edge higher. • Export prices rise moderately. Import prices improved 1.0% during May (-6.0% y/y) after an unrevised 2.6% April decline. A 0.5% rise had been expected in the [...]

• Initial jobless claims declined to a still extremely-elevated 1.542 million in the week ending June 6. • Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance new filers down to 705,676. • Continuing claim for state programs decreased to 20.9 [...]

Total borrowing in U.S. financial markets ballooned to $10.346 trillion in Q1, a record amount and by far a record share of GDP, 48.0%, according to the Federal Reserve's Financial Accounts data. Q4 2019 saw total borrowing of $2.362 [...]

Total borrowing in U.S. financial markets ballooned to $10.346 trillion in Q1, a record amount and by far a record share of GDP, 48.0%, according to the Federal Reserve's Financial Accounts data. Q4 2019 saw total borrowing of $2.362 [...]

Italian industrial production has been decimated over the last two months, falling by 30.7% in March then falling again by 21.4% in April. Both are month-to-month percentage changes. Over three months, IP is falling at a 91.5% annual [...]

• Price index increases for first time in four months • Prices less food & energy slip. • Core goods prices hold steady while services prices ease. With industrial sector activity under pressure, pricing power remains constrained. The [...]

• Initial jobless claims declined to a still extremely-elevated 1.542 million in the week ending June 6. • Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance new filers down to 705,676. • Continuing claim for state programs decreased to 20.9 [...]