Economy in Brief

U.K. GDP is expected to cool its jets when the first quarter GDP number is released. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) estimates that U.K. GDP rose by 0.2% in Q1 2018. That translates into an annualized [...]

The Conference Board's Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased 0.3% during March following a 0.7% February gain, revised from 0.6%. The y/y change strengthened to 6.2% from 4.1% during all of last year. The latest [...]

Initial unemployment insurance claims slipped to 232,000 (-6.1% y/y) during the week ended April 14 from an unrevised 233,000 in the prior week. Expectations had been for 230,000 initial claims in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve reported that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index rose to 23.2 during April, reversing some of March's decline. Expectations had been for a reading of 21.0 in the Action Economics [...]

While the IMF has just lifted its outlook for growth in 2018, Japan is logging weaker and weaker export and import growth as the year progresses. Asia generally has been lagging. The PMIs in Europe have weakened but are still showing [...]

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its total Mortgage Applications Volume Index increased 4.9% last week (1.0% y/y), following a 1.9% decline during the prior week. Purchase loan applications increased 6.1% (10.1% y/y) [...]

Retail gasoline prices rebounded to $2.75 per gallon last week (12.8% y/y) following the prior week's one penny drop to $2.69. It was the highest price level since late-July 2015. Haver Analytics constructs factors adjusting for the [...]

Current conditions indexes in the ZEW framework usually do not change by much month-to-month. That was the case this month as well. But there was substantial degradation in expectations. Fears surrounding the possibility of a trade [...]