Economy in Brief

Germany logged its highest surplus since March 2018 when it was €21.68b. The surplus in February 2020 hit €21.58b. Powerful forces were at work on both sides of the trade balance in February with exports gaining 1.3% as imports fell [...]

Weakness in industrial sector activity is translating into reduced pricing power. The Producer Price Index for final demand eased 0.2% (+0.7% y/y) during March following a 0.6% February fall. A 0.3% decline had been expected in the [...]

• Initial jobless claims declined slightly to 6.606 million in the week ending April 4. • Over the last three weeks 16.8 million people have filed new claims. • This suggests an over 10 percentage point rise in the unemployment rate. [...]

Weakness in industrial sector activity is translating into reduced pricing power. The Producer Price Index for final demand eased 0.2% (+0.7% y/y) during March following a 0.6% February fall. A 0.3% decline had been expected in the [...]

As the pandemic takes its toll and as governments and central backs adopt support programs, the OECD leading economic indicators become important gauges to track. These LEI measures are just beginning to roll over and show weakness [...]

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its Mortgage Loan Application Index declined 17.9% (+51.0% y/y) in the week ended April 4 and reversed the prior week's 15.3% gain. Purchase applications dropped 12.2% w/w and by one- [...]

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that it's Mortgage Loan Application Index declined 17.9% (+51.0% y/y) in the week ended April 4 and reversed the prior week's 15.3% gain. Purchase applications dropped 12.2% w/w and by one- [...]

Consumer credit outstanding increased $22.3 billion (4.5% y/y) during February following an unrevised $12.0 billion January gain. It was the strongest monthly increase since July. A $14.0 billion gain had been expected by the Action [...]