Economy in Brief: May 2020

• Initial jobless insurance claims eased to 2.981 million last week. • Over the last eight weeks 36.5 million individuals, 23.3% of the labor force, have filed new claims. • Continuing claims continue to increase. Initial jobless [...]

• Nonoil import prices weaken and oil prices collapse. • Export price decline reflects lower farm product prices. Import prices weakened 2.6% (-6.8% y/y) during April after a little-revised 2.4% March decline. A 3.4% decline had been [...]

Inflation is under a double dose of downward diversions. The COVID-19 has knocked growth down. Slowing GDP usually is associated with some inflation weakening as demand pressures abate. However, activity has been reduced- demand and [...]

• Initial jobless insurance claims eased to 2.981 million last week. • Over the last eight weeks 36.5 million individuals, 23.3% of the labor force, filed new claims. • Continuing claims continue to increase. Initial jobless claims [...]

• Gain in core finished goods PPI picks up. • Energy prices decline. • Service price inflation eases. The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.6% (6.2% y/y) during April following a 1.0% March gain. The index has risen at [...]

• Gain in core finished goods PPI picks up. • Energy prices decline. • Service price inflation eases. The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.6% (6.2% y/y) during April following a 1.0% March gain. The index has risen at [...]

• Gain in core finished goods PPI picks up. • Energy prices decline. • Service price inflation eases. The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.6% (6.2% y/y) during April following a 1.0% March gain. The index has risen at [...]

• Initial claims fall to another pandemic low. • State continuing claims and insured unemployment rate edged down. • PUA and PEUC continuing claims rose. Initial claims for unemployment insurance declined to 473,000 in the week ended [...]