Economy in Brief

The U.S. Treasury Department reported that during the first ten months of fiscal year 2018, the federal government budget deficit totaled $684.0 billion, up 20.8% versus $566.0 billion in the first ten months of FY'17. During July [...]

Consumer prices rose 0.2% (2.9% y/y) during July following a 0.1% June increase. The gain matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The CPI excluding food & energy also rose an expected 0.2% (2.4% y/y) for the [...]

Initial unemployment insurance claims inched higher to 218,000 during the week ended July 28....... In the week ending July 21, continuing claims for unemployment insurance fell to 1.724 million........... The insured rate of [...]

Wholesale trade inventories inched 0.1% higher (5.1% y/y) in June following a revised 0.3% May rise, initially reported as 0.6%. The increase compared to m/m stability expected by the Informa Global Markets Survey axnd followed a 0.1% [...]

The headline Final Demand Producer Price Index using new methodology remained unchanged during July following an unrevised 0.3% rise in June. The 3.3% y/y rise remained nearly the strongest since November 2011. A 0.2% increase had [...]

Dutch industrial production declined by 1.1% in June as utilities output fell by 2.2%, mining & quarrying activity plunged by 12%, and manufacturing edged lower by 0.1%. With the quarter’s data completed, the Dutch economy now shows [...]

Initial unemployment insurance claims decreased to 213,000 during the week ended August 4 from a slightly upwardly revised 219,000 during the prior week. The Action Economics Forecast Survey called for a 220,000 reading. The four-week [...]

The National Association of Realtors reported that the Composite Index of Home Affordability declined 8.8% y/y during June to 134.8, the lowest level since August 2008. The index was 37.3% below its peak in January 2013. Together, [...]