Economy in Brief: August 2005

The U.S. federal government budget deficit of $52.8B in July that was somewhat shallower than Consensus estimates. The monthly deficit contrasted with a $69.2B deficit last July and during the first ten months of FY 2005 the deficit [...]

Total business inventories were unchanged in June following an unrevised 0.1% gain in May. The weakness in accumulation lowered the three month change in inventories to 1.4% (AR) versus a 12.1% peak rate of accumulation through last [...]

The Small Business Optimism Index reported by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) rose a slight 0.3% in July following no change the month prior. During the last ten years there has been a 64% correlation between [...]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the job openings rate, from the Job Openings & Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), improved in June versus May to 2.6%, but 2.6% has been the average so far this year. The job openings rate is [...]

The Leading Index of the Major 7 OECD economies rose in June by 0.5%, the first m/m increase this year. Six month growth in the index also improved to -0.6% from -1.6% during the prior two months. During the last ten years there has [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance reversed all of the prior week's little revised up tick and fell 6,000 to 308,000. Consensus expectations for 315,000 claims. The four week moving average of initial claims declined to 309,250 [...]

US retail sales jumped another 1.8% last month, about matching Consensus expectations, following a similar gain in June that was little revised. The figure was a disappointment, however, because without autos and gasoline sales last [...]

US retail sales jumped another 1.8% last month, about matching Consensus expectations, following a similar gain in June that was little revised. The figure was a disappointment, however, because without autos and gasoline sales last [...]