Economy in Brief: 2018

Industrial production in EMU is looking very weak. It is fair to say that no matter how you look at it, it is exceptionally weak. In April as well as over three-months there are output declines in all sectors. Of the eleven EMU [...]

The headline Final Demand Producer Price Index using new methodology jumped 0.5% (3.1% y/y) during May following an unrevised 0.1% uptick in April. A 0.3% increase had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The PPI [...]

Consumer prices increased 0.2% (2.8% y/y) during May for the second straight month. The gain matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The CPI excluding food & energy rose an expected 0.2% (2.2% y/y) after a 0.1% [...]

The U.S. Treasury Department reported that the federal government ran a $146.8 billion budget deficit during May 2018. That compared to a $88.4 billion deficit during May 2017. A $119.5 billion had been expected in the Action [...]

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) indicated that its Small Business Optimism Index increased to 107.8 during May following two months near 104.8. It was the strongest reading since the third quarter of 1983. A [...]

Consumer prices increased 0.2% (2.8% y/y) during May for the second straight month. The gain matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The CPI excluding food & energy rose an expected 0.2% (2.2% y/y) after a 0.1% [...]

The Zew experts are decidedly less upbeat than they were. The Zew financial experts assessments still have roughly the same sorts of rankings that had prevailed earlier with strong rankings on current assessments and more pessimism on [...]

Retail gasoline prices eased to $2.91 per gallon last week (+23.0% y/y) from $2.94 per gallon during the prior week. This was the second consecutive weekly decline, which probably signals the end of the traditional price increase in [...]