Economy in Brief: April 2021

• Higher energy prices lead last month's gain. • Services price inflation continues to accelerate. • Core goods prices pick up. Price inflation at the retail level is accelerating as demand firms. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.6% [...]

• The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.4 points in March to 98.2. • The March reading returns to the historic average since last November. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reported that its Small [...]

• Gasoline prices reverse earlier increase. • Crude oil prices slip. • Natural gas prices continue to decline. The price of regular gasoline eased to $2.85 per gallon (+53.8% y/y) in the week ended April 12 after edging higher to [...]

The U.S. Treasury Department reported a federal budget deficit of $659.6 billion during March compared to a deficit of $119.0 billion one year earlier. For the first six months of this fiscal year the deficit rose to $1.706 trillion. [...]

The U.S. Treasury Department reported a federal budget deficit of $659.6 billion during March compared to a deficit of $119.0 billion one year earlier. For the first six months of this fiscal year the deficit rose to $1.706 trillion. [...]

The U.S. Treasury Department reported a federal budget deficit of $659.6 billion during March compared to a deficit of $119.0 billion one year earlier. For the first six months of this fiscal year the deficit rose to $1.706 trillion. [...]

February finds EU retail sales and motor vehicle registration rebounding after having logged even more severe drops in January. As a result, despite the substantial boost this month, retail sales and vehicle registrations are still [...]

• Lumber prices strengthen with the housing market. • Metals prices are mixed. The Industrial Materials Price Index, from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER), increased 0.9% during the four weeks [...]