Economy in Brief: April 2019

Retail gasoline prices jumped to $2.83 per gallon last week (2.9% y/y), the highest level since late-October 2018. Haver Analytics constructs factors adjusting for the seasonal variation in gasoline pump prices. The seasonally- [...]

The volume of retail sales fell month-to-month, according to the Bank of France retail trade survey. Over 12 months, the gauge is falling by 3.5%. However, it is getting some traction as sales expand at a 0.3% pace over six months and [...]

The Empire State Manufacturing Index of General Business Conditions rebounded to 10.1 during April and reversed the decline registered in March. Nevertheless, the latest level remained sharply below the reading of 17.9 twelve months [...]

Euro area industrial production fell by 0.2% in February, leaving January’s 1.9% gain sandwiched between two smaller declines. Output is still rising on balance over three months at a 3.5% annual rate. That’s a reversal of its -2.1% [...]

The National Association of Realtors reported that its Composite Index of Home Affordability rose 1.5% m/m during February. Nevertheless, affordability was down 2.8% y/y and 27.1% below the peak level during January 2013. Together, [...]

The Labor Department reported that import prices increased 0.6% during March and were unchanged y/y. The gain followed a 1.0% strengthening in February, revised from 0.6%. A 0.4% rise had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased to 196,000 (-13.7% year-on-year) during the week ended April 6th from a slightly upwardly-revised 204,000 in the previous week. This is the lowest level of claims since October 1969. [...]

Ireland's HICP and domestic CPI both point to well contained inflation. At the same time, there is evidence that pressures in Ireland are rising. Does Ireland have the kind of inflation that can be ignored and will return to path or [...]