Economy in Brief

Gasoline prices fell last week to an average $2.75 per gallon (+7.5% y/y) from $2.81 during the prior week. It was the lowest price since mid-April. Prices peaked at $2.96 late in May. Haver Analytics constructs factors to adjust for [...]

U.K. manufacturing has been losing momentum from late 2017. The services sector has fluctuated in a relatively narrow range since late 2016 with a minor eroding trend. In October, the composite index backtracked to 52.1 from 54.1, a [...]

The Composite Index of Nonmanufacturing Sector Activity from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) backpedaled to 60.3 during October following a jump to 61.6 in September. The Action Economics Forecast Survey expected a greater [...]

The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened further to $54.02 billion in September from a slightly upwardly revised $53.31 billion in August. This was the largest deficit since February. A deficit of $53.4 billion had been [...]

Euro area manufacturing is turning lower while the Markit reading for the U.S. turns higher. The Market manufacturing PMI for Europe fell to 52.0 in October while the U.S. Markit reading rose to 55.6 from 54.7. The more closely [...]

The labor market is robust, strong enough to lift workers' pay. Average hourly earnings increased 0.2% during October and raised the y/y increase to 3.1%, the strongest gain since April 2009. The rise matched expectations in the [...]

Manufacturers' orders increased 0.7% m/m (7.9% y/y) in September, on top of an upwardly revised 2.6% m/m jump in August. The Action Economics Forecast survey had looked for a 0.5% m/m rise. This was the sixth monthly increase thus far [...]

The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened further to $54.02 billion in September from a slightly upwardly revised $53.31 billion in August. This was the largest deficit since February. A deficit of $53.4 billion had been [...]