Economy in Brief

The ZEW experts' macroeconomic current assessment in July has been cut for the euro area, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The U.S. outlook stepped up in July while the weak outlook for Italy improved and the negative outlook [...]

The Composite Housing Market Index from the National Association of Home Builders-Wells Fargo edged up to 65 in July from 64 in June, reversing half of its June decline. Compared with a year ago, the index is 3 points lower and [...]

Improvement in consumer spending continues to underscore the economic expansion. Total retail sales increased 0.4% (1.8% y/y) during June following a 0.4% May gain, revised from a 0.5%. April's increase was revised also to 0.4% from [...]

Improvement in consumer spending continues to underscore the economic expansion. Total retail sales increased 0.4% (3.4% y/y) during June following a 0.4% May gain, revised from a 0.5%. April's increase was revised also to 0.4% from [...]

Import prices fell 0.9% (-2.0% y/y) in June following an upwardly revised unchanged reading in May (initially reported as a 0.3% m/m decline). The June decline was larger than the 0.6% m/m decline expected in the Action Economics [...]

Industrial production was flat during June (+1.3% year-on-year) following an unrevised 0.4% gain in May. April was revised down slightly to -0.5% from -0.4%. The Action Economics Survey forecast a 0.2% gain in June. Manufacturing [...]

The pump price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. increased to $2.78 per gallon (-3.0% y/y) from $2.74 in the previous week. It was the highest price since early-June. Haver Analytics adjusts for the seasonal variation in gasoline [...]

Irish exports and imports both have decelerated sharply from their respective paces of early-2018. Both have posted relatively recent year-on-year growth rates that have dipped below zero. However, as of May, it is exports where [...]