Economy in Brief

• NFIB Small Business Optimism Index falls to a seven-year low 90.7 in April. • Nine out of ten components decline except expectations economy will improve. • Deflationary pressures set in with a record net 3% of firms planning on [...]

• Outlays surge as government begins economic stimulus payments. • Receipts decline as businesses close down and tax payments are delayed. With recession developing, the government's financial situation is deteriorating. The U.S. [...]

The OECD's own headline on this report flags the LEIs as showing an 'unprecedented collapse,' I have simply gone with their lede. Weakness globally stems from the nearly synchronous spread of the Coronavirus and the impact of policies [...]

• Gasoline prices recoup earlier declines. • Crude oil costs reach four-week high. • Natural gas prices strengthen. Retail gasoline prices increased to $1.85 per gallon (-35.4% y/y) in the week ended May 11 from $1.79 per gallon in [...]

• Lower energy prices lead the decline. • Food prices jump with increased at-home consumption. • Core goods prices broadly weaken. The CPI fell 0.8% (+0.3%) during April, the largest decline since late-2008. The fall was double the [...]

• NFIB Small Business Optimism Index falls to a seven-year low 90.9 in April. • Nine out of ten components decline except expectations economy will improve. • Deflationary pressures set in with a record net 3% of firms planning on [...]

IP flatlines then heads straight for Dante's inferno Italy's Industrial production fell sharply in March as Europe is gripped in early-May by reopening fever. Of course, the March report on IP lags. May is 'real time' so these events [...]

The Industrial Materials Price Index from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER) fell 0.8% during the four weeks ended Friday. The price index has moved irregularly sideways for the last six weeks but [...]