Economy in Brief: September 2016

Initial unemployment insurance claims edged down to 259,000 (-5.8% y/y) in the week ending September 3 from an unrevised 263,000 in the week ended August 27. The four-week moving average also eased to 261,250 from 263,000 (also [...]

Consumer credit outstanding picked up in July, increasing $17.7 billion (6.0% y/y) during the month versus an upwardly revised, though still subpar, $14.5 billion (initially $12.3 billion) rise in June. The previously reported May [...]

The OECD LEIs for July are mostly at index levels below 100 which indicate some slowing. In the top panel of select countries/regions only EMU retains an index value above 100 at 100.2. China is below 100 but has picked up in July [...]

German IP dropped in July falling by 1.5%. The drop more than offsets a 1.1% gain in June and makes it two declines in the last three months. IP is falling on a consistent basis and it is nearly accelerating its drop from 12-Mo to [...]

The total job openings rate edged higher to 3.9% in July, regaining its record high last reached in April, up from 3.8% in June and 3.7 in May. The private sector job openings rate jumped to 4.2% in July from 4.0% in June, also [...]

German orders continue their run of weakness rising by 0.2% in July after falling by 0.3% in June and after rising by 0.1% in May. Orders on balance are flat over 3-months and flat over six months and are lower by 0.5% over 12-months. [...]

The Composite Index of Nonmanufacturing Sector Business Activity from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) decreased to 51.4 in August from 55.5 in July. Expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey had been for a much [...]

Manufacturing sector orders increased 1.9% (-3.5% y/y) during July and reversed the prior month's 1.8% fall, revised from -1.5%. The rise reflected a 4.4% increase in orders for durable goods, which was unrevised from the advance [...]