Economy in Brief

Consumer spending strengthened during March at the expense of savings account balances. Personal consumption expenditures surged 0.9% (4.4% y/y) following a 0.1% February uptick and a 0.3% January rise, revised from 0.1%. It was the [...]

The economy began 2019 on a firm footing. Gross domestic product, adjusted for price inflation, increased 3.2% during Q1 2019. The gain lifted growth during the last four quarters to 3.2%, the strongest increase since Q2 2015. The [...]

The economy began 2019 on a firm footing. Gross domestic product, adjusted for price inflation, increased 3.2% during Q1 2019. The gain lifted growth during the last four quarters to 3.2%, the strongest increase since Q2 2015. The [...]

Retail sales in Japan scored an increase in March after two consecutive monthly declines. Still, the just-completed first quarter is showing sales fall at a 4.2% annual rate. The sequential growth rates show that sales have been [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased to 192,000 (-15.4% year-on-year) during the week ended April 13 Continuing claims for unemployment insurance declined 63,000 to 1.653 million (-10.7% y/y) in the week ending April [...]

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City indicated that its index of regional manufacturing sector business activity declined to five in April from 10 in March. It remained down versus the high of 26 reached last May. The ISM-Adjusted [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased to 192,000 (-15.4% year-on-year) during the week ended April 13 Continuing claims for unemployment insurance declined 63,000 to 1.653 million (-10.7% y/y) in the week ending April [...]

The U.K. distributive trades retail survey is generally more upbeat than the wholesale survey in April. That is true for the current readings as well as for the forward-looking expectations. The difference in the assessment, [...]