Economy in Brief: October 2004

US retail sales jumped 1.5% last month following a little revised 0.2% decline in August. The gain far outpaced Consensus expectations for a 0.6% rise. Higher sales of motor vehicles led the surge. A 4.2% jump in sales at motor [...]

US retail sales jumped 1.5% last month following a little revised 0.2% decline in August. The gain far outpaced Consensus expectations for a 0.6% rise. Higher sales of motor vehicles led the surge. A 4.2% jump in sales at motor [...]

The Economic and Social Research Institute of the Japanese Government Cabinet Office (ESRI) has reorganized its survey on consumer confidence. The new data began in April; some old data are still useful. In particular, the survey is [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose 15,000 last week to 352,000 after a 35,000 decline the prior week that was little revised. Consensus expectations had been for 345,000 claims. The increase may have reflected aberrant [...]

Import prices rose a modest 0.2% last month, just half the Consensus expectation. The prior month's surge of 1.7% was a bit lower than initially estimated due to a downwardly revised 0.3% gain in non-petroleum prices. In September, [...]

In August, the U.S. foreign trade deficit deepened to $54.0B, the second highest level on record. Prior months' figures were little revised. Consensus expectations had been for a somewhat shallower deficit of $51.0B. Total exports [...]

In August, the U.S. foreign trade deficit deepened to $54.0B, the second highest level on record. Prior months' figures were little revised. Consensus expectations had been for a somewhat shallower deficit of $51.0B. Total exports [...]

Japan's current account surplus for August, reported today by the Bank of Japan, increased ¥347 million from July in seasonally adjusted terms. This brought it to ¥1.734 billion, the third largest monthly surplus in the almost 20-year [...]