Economy in Brief: October 2016

Consumer credit outstanding increased $25.9 billion (6.8% y/y) during August following a $17.8 billion July improvement, revised from $17.7 billion. It was the strongest rise since September 2015, and one of the firmest of the [...]

Inventories at the wholesale level fell 0.2% (-0.1% y/y) during August after a 0.1% easing in July, revised from no change. The advance report had indicated a 0.1% August dip. Inventories of durable goods rose 0.2% (-1.9% y/y) after a [...]

The job market is settling onto a path of moderate improvement. Nonfarm payroll employment increased 156,000 (1.7% y/y) during September following revised gains of 167,000 and 252,000 during the prior two months. These where reported [...]

The job market is settling onto a path of moderate improvement. Nonfarm payroll employment increased 156,000 (1.7% y/y) during September following revised gains of 167,000 and 252,000 during the prior two months. These where reported [...]

German IP rebounded to gain 2.5% month-to-month in August after a 1.5% drop in July. With this rebound, German GDP is up at an 8.8% annual rate over three months. However, it is only up at a 0.5% pace two months into the third [...]

German orders rose by 1% in August, their second monthly gain in a row. It was the first back-to-back monthly gain since November. However neither domestic nor foreign orders have posted monthly gains back-to-back since March for [...]

The outplacement firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that job cut announcements during September rose to 44,324 (-24.7% y/y) and made up most of the August decline to 32,188. Layoffs rose in the aerospace/defense, chemical, [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance declined to 249,000 (-6.7% y/y) during the week ended October 1 from an unrevised 254,000 in the prior week. The four-week moving average of claims fell to 253,500, the lowest level since [...]