Economy in Brief

The EMU inflation picture has begun to get dicey with headline inflation at or above 2% for two months running and the core rate (excluding food and energy) running at a pace closer to 1%. Even Alice in Wonderland did not have it so [...]

The Conference Board's Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased 0.6% (6.3% y/y) during July. The improvement followed an unrevised 0.5% June gain and an upwardly revised 0.1% uptick. A 0.4% increase had been expected [...]

The Conference Board's Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased 0.6% (6.3% y/y) during July. The improvement followed an unrevised 0.5% June gain and an upwardly revised 0.1% uptick. A 0.4% increase had been expected [...]

U.K. retail sales are advancing and accelerating on the heels of a rebound in sales in Germany. It's an unlikely development as the U.K. faces all sorts of challenges including a program of rate hikes from the BOE, ongoing concerns [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased to 212,000 during the week ended August 11 from 214,000 the week before, which was revised up by 1,000. The Action Economics Forecast Survey called for a 215,000 reading. The four- [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve reported that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index declined sharply to 11.9 during August following a July increase to 25.7. It was the weakest reading since November 2016. The decline [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased to 212,000 during the week ended August 11 from 214,000 the week before, which was revised up by 1,000. The Action Economics Forecast Survey called for a 215,000 reading. The four- [...]

Start-up activity in the housing market remained under pressure during July. Total housing starts rose 0.9% last month (-1.4% y/y) to 1.168 million (SAAR). That followed a 12.9% decline in June to 1.158 million, revised from 1.173 [...]