Economy in Brief: May 2018

Total retail sales increased 0.3% (4.7% y/y) during April following a 0.8% March gain, revised from 0.6%. The rise matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. Excluding motor vehicles and parts, retail sales improved [...]

Retail gasoline prices rose to $2.87 per gallon yesterday (21.3% y/y) and remained at the highest price level since November 2014. Haver Analytics constructs factors adjusting for the seasonal variation in gasoline pump prices. The [...]

The Industrial Materials Price Index from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER) increased 1.0% during the last four weeks and 9.2% during the last year. Industrial materials prices overall rose by [...]

The Bank of France business indicator continues to decline as it fell to 102 in April from 102.6 in March. The Bank of France used this survey to conclude that France's economy is set to expand at a steady pace of 0.3% in the second [...]

Concerns about inflation have central banks jumping through hoops. At even the squeak of inflation, central bank policymakers huddle and make plans to become more aggressive. But for every squeak from inflation, recently there has [...]

Import prices increased 0.3% during April (3.3% y/y) after declining 0.2% in March, revised from no change. A 0.5% rise had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. These figures are not seasonally adjusted. A 1.6% [...]

The U.S. Treasury Department reported that the federal government ran a record $214.3 billion budget surplus during April 2018. That compared to a $182.4 billion surplus during April 2017. The higher surplus was driven, in part, by [...]

Japan’s economy watchers index, while improving, continues to hover below the neutral reading of 50 with a reading of 49.0 in April. As such, the index continues to indicate contraction. Despite the gain, the economy watchers April [...]