Economy in Brief: May 2021

• Monthly increase is highest since June 2009. • Core goods prices surge. • Energy prices ease. Price inflation at the retail level is accelerating as consumer spending strengthens. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.8% (4.2% y/y) during [...]

• Only the second increase in the past ten weeks. • Increase led by rise in applications for refinancing; applications to purchase posted only a small gain. • Mortgage interest rates fell. The Mortgage Bankers Association Mortgage [...]

• TEXT. • TEXT. • TEXT. • Gasoline prices continue to rise prior to the potential effects of the Colonial Pipeline shutdown. • Crude oil prices also continue to rise. • Natural gas prices strengthen. The price of retail gasoline rose [...]

• Job openings increase to another record. • Hiring rate improves slightly. • Layoffs decline while quits stabilize. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that on the last business day of March, the level of job openings rose to a [...]

The OECD leading economic indicators are a set of indicators established to predict the economy's future performance. The OECD prefers the signal of change over six months. The indexes themselves are constructed relative to ‘normalcy' [...]

• Gasoline prices continue to rise prior to the potential effects of the Colonial Pipeline shutdown. • Crude oil prices also continue to rise. • Natural gas prices strengthen. The price of retail gasoline rose 7 cents to $2.96 a [...]

• Incomes boosted in March by another round of government stimulus payments. • Both prices and mortgage rates rise in March. The National Association of Realtors' Fixed Rate Mortgage Housing Affordability Index increased 1.3% in March [...]

• Optimism rebounds to highest level since November. • Improved optimism is widespread amongst survey categories. • Pricing power improves greatly. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reported that its Small [...]