Economy in Brief: December 2006

Last week chain store sales, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)-UBS, recovered about a third of the prior period's collapse with a 1.0% rise. So far in December sales are 2.0% below the November average [...]

The U.S. foreign trade deficit in October dropped to the lowest level since July of 2005. The $58.9B shortfall compared to an unrevised $64.3B during September and was shallower than Consensus expectations for a deficit of $63.0B. A [...]

At today's Federal Open Market Committee meeting the target interest rate for Federal funds was held steady at 5.25%. The rate was increased to the current level at the FOMC meeting in late June. Voting against the decision for the [...]

Germany released data today for the third quarter balance of payments on a seasonally adjusted basis and for the month of October on a seasonally unadjusted basis. Late last week monthly data on total trade and trade in goods were [...]

For October, the Leading Index of the major 7 OECD economies rose 0.2% after an unrevised 0.4% increase during September. It was the third increase following three consecutive months of decline and the index's six month growth rate [...]

For October, the Leading Index of the major 7 OECD economies rose 0.2% after an unrevised 0.4% increase during September. It was the third increase following three consecutive months of decline and the index's six month growth rate [...]

The Federal Reserve's release yesterday of the quarterly Flow of Funds calls our attention once again to changing relationships highlighted in this enormous body of financial information. Here follow brief notes on two specific, but [...]

Credit market debt outstanding owed by all sectors of the economy grew 7.3% (AR, 8.8% y/y) during the third quarter, the slowest quarterly growth rate since early last year. The slowdown reflected the federal government's debt which [...]