Economy in Brief

U.S. retail gasoline prices fell for the seventh consecutive week, edging down to $2.65 (-6.3% y/y) per gallon during the week ended June 24 from $2.67 the previous week. Haver Analytics calculates factors that adjust for the seasonal [...]

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reported in its Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey that the General Business Activity Index declined to -12.1 during June from -5.3 in May. It was the lowest index reading in three years, down [...]

With concern mounting about the state of growth in the global economy, all incoming reports are being scrutinized for signs of which way growth may be turning; is it improving or deteriorating? The German IFO report gauges are plotted [...]

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported that its National Activity index rose to -0.05 during May following an April decline to -0.48. The three-month moving average increased to -0.17, its highest level since January. During the [...]

There is an old song with a verse about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The EMU manufacturing and services sectors seem to be following that script. Services are continuing to move higher boosting the composite [...]

The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes rose 2.5% (-1.1% y/y) to 5.340 million (SAAR) during May after remaining unchanged in April at 5.210 million, revised from 5.190 million. It was the highest [...]

The U.S. current account deficit narrowed to $130.4 billion during Q1'19 from $143.9 billion during Q4'18, revised from $134.4 billion. It compared to a $125.0 billion deficit expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. As a [...]

The Conference Board's Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators held steady (2.5% y/y) during May following a 0.1% April rise, revised from 0.2%. The March increase also was lessened to 0.2% from 0.3%. A 0.1% uptick had been [...]