Economy in Brief: March 2021

• PREVIOUS>>>>>>>>>>Industrial production increased 0.9% m/m (-1.8% y/y) in January. Industrial production and capacity are located in Haver's USECON database. Additional detail on production and capacity can be found in the IP [...]

• Weakness is broad-based. • Decline follows January spending boost from stimulus checks. Total retail sales including food service and drinking establishments declined 3.0% (+6.3% y/y) during February after rising 7.6% in January, [...]

• Import prices rose 1.3% in February with imported fuel prices up 11.1%. • Annual increase in nonfuel import prices highest since January 2012. • Export prices increased 1.6%. Annual increase highest since June 2018. Import prices [...]

• Gasoline prices rise by one-quarter y/y. • Crude oil prices touch 2019 high. • Natural gas prices drop again. The price of regular gasoline strengthened to $2.85 per gallon (26.9% y/y) in the week ended March 15, its highest level [...]

State labor market data in January tended to show declines in unemployment with fairly muted changes in payroll employment. 20 states report statistically significant declines in their unemployment rates. Michigan's remarkable 2.5 [...]

Compare current activity to one year ago Japan continues to have a slow rollout out from under the effects of the coronavirus. The far-right hand column of the table looks at the percentage change in each measure in the table on its [...]

• Component changes are mixed. • Employment measure indicates further growth. • Prices surge. The Empire State Manufacturing Index of General Business Conditions increased to 17.4 in March from 12.1 in February. A reading of 14.3 had [...]

• TEST The Financial Accounts data are in Haver's FFUNDS database. Associated information is compiled in the Integrated Macroeconomic Accounts produced jointly with the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); these are carried in Haver's [...]