Economy in Brief: February 2017

The job market started the new year on a firm footing. Nonfarm payroll employment increased 227,000 (1.5% y/y) following increases of 157,000 and 164,000, previously reported as 156,000 and 204,000. The latest gain was the strongest [...]

The Composite Index of Nonmanufacturing Sector Business Activity from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) decreased to 56.5 in January from 56.6 during December. December was revised from 57.2. January's value again represents a [...]

The job market started the new year on a firm footing. Nonfarm payroll employment increased 227,000 (1.5% y/y) following increases of 157,000 and 164,000, previously reported as 156,000 and 204,000. The latest gain was the strongest [...]

The EMU area PPI surged by 1.1% in December, driving the three-month inflation rate to 10%, the six-month pace to 5.3% and raising the year-over-year pace to 1.6%. This is a sharp reversal from last year's 3% drop in the PPI. Price [...]

Initial filings for unemployment insurance declined to 246,000 (-14.0% y/y) during the week ended January 28 from 260,000 claims in the prior week, revised from 259,000. Expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey had been [...]

Growth in nonfarm output per hour during Q4'16 increased at a 1.3% rate (1.0% y/y) following a 3.5% rise in Q3, revised from 3.1%. A 1.0% increase had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. These latest two increase [...]

Total sales of light vehicles fell 4.4% (-1.6% y/y) to 17.61 million units (SAAR) during January from 18.43 million units sold in December, according to the Autodata Corporation. Leading the decline was a 9.3% drop (-11.8% y/y) in [...]

At today's meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the targeted fed funds rate was left unchanged in a range between 0.50% and 0.75%. It remained the highest target since the end of 2008. The Fed continued to indicate that job [...]