Economy in Brief: 2019

Initial unemployment insurance claims decreased to 216,000 in the week ended June 15 Continuing claims for unemployment insurance also decreased, to 1.662 million in the week ending June 8 Initial unemployment insurance claims [...]

The EU commission index for the EMU fell to 103.3 in June; it was last weaker in August 2016 for one month and in 2016 March and April for two months. But it was last persistently weaker than this level from May 2011 through June 2015 [...]

Economic growth maintained a moderate pace early this year. Gross domestic product, adjusted for price inflation, increased an unrevised 3.1% during Q1'19. The 3.2% y/y growth rate remained the strongest increase since Q2'15. The rise [...]

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that pending home sales rose 1.1% in May (-0.7% year-on-year), reversing much of April's 1.5% decrease. Meanwhile, mortgage rates continue on their downtrend. The effective rate on a [...]

Initial unemployment insurance claims increased 10,000 to 227,000 in the week ended June 22 from a slightly upwardly revised 217,000 (originally 216,000) the previous week. Claims continue to fluctuate around their lowest level in 50 [...]

Activity in the manufacturing sector improved during May. New orders for durable goods increased 1.3% (-2.8% y/y) following a 2.8% April decline, revised from -2.1%. A 0.1% easing in May orders had been expected in the Action [...]

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reported in its Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey that the General Business Activity Index rose to 3.2 during June from -0.3 in May. It remained below the 25.7 peak in September of last year. The [...]

German consumer climate has been steadily fading in recent months although continuing to hold to a relatively strong perch based on its overall results since January 2002. Overall German consumer climate is still assessed as strong in [...]