Economy in Brief: 2019

The value of construction put-in-place decreased 0.9% m/m (-0.8% y/y) in March following a 0.7% m/m increase (revised down from +1.0%) in February. The Action Economics Forecast Survey had expected a 0.1% m/m rise. The y/y decline in [...]

ADP indicated in its National Employment Report that private nonfarm payrolls increased 275,000 (2.1% y/y) during April following a 151,000 gain during March, revised from 129,000. The February increase also was revised up to 220,000 [...]

The employment cost index (ECI) for civilian workers rose 0.7% in Q1'19 following a 0.7% Q4'18 gain. The riser matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The increase left y/y compensation growth at 2.9%, up from [...]

Year-over-year GDP growth had decelerated in five consecutive quarters until the Q1 2019 release. And even in 2019, it is not posting a trend-stopping rise, but rather a rate of growth equal to that in the previous quarter when [...]

The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index increased 4.0% (2.9% y/y) to 129.2 during April and reversed most of the March decline. The m/m rise exceeded expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey which [...]

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that pending home sales jumped 3.8% in March (-1.2% year-on-year). Pending sales declined for most of 2018, dropping in December to its lowest level since April 2014. Pending sales [...]

The employment cost index (ECI) for civilian workers rose 0.7% in Q1'19 following a 0.7% Q4'18 gain. The gain matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The increase left y/y compensation growth at 2.8%, up from its [...]

The employment cost index (ECI) for civilian workers rose 0.7% in Q1'19 following a 0.7% Q4'18 gain. The gain matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The increase left y/y compensation growth at 2.8%, up from its [...]