Economy in Brief: 2012

Japan recorded a trade deficit of 2,496 billion yen ($19.8 billion at today's exchange rate of 79.44 yen to the dollar) in 2011, the first annual deficit since 1980. Trade continued to decline and, in January, Japan recorded the [...]

The Conference Board reported that the Leading Economic Indicator index gained 0.4% during January following a revised 0.5% December rise, last month reported as 0.4%. A 0.5% increase had been expected. The latest rise pulled the six- [...]

Consumer prices rose during January at their quickest pace in four months. The CPI increased 0.2% after being unchanged in December. A 0.3% gain had been the Consensus expectation. Figures back to 2007 were revised due to new seasonal [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank's General Business Conditions Index rose in February indicating expansion and built on its January rise. The Index of General Business Conditions rose to 10.2 from 7.3 in January. The figures have [...]

The producer price index for finished goods ticked up 0.1% last month following an unrevised 0.1% December slip. Consensus expectations had been for a 0.4% rise, according to the Action Economics survey. Core pricing power again was [...]

ItalyÆs current account and trade deficits were lifted into surplus in December as the slowdown hit domestic demand in Italy hard, contracting imports for the second month in a row. ItalyÆs domestic demand is very weak. GDP contracted [...]

New home building is improving moderately. Housing starts rose last month by 1.5% (9.9% y/y) to 699,000 from a revised 689,000 in December, initially reported as 657,000. Expectations had been for 675,000 starts in January. Starts in [...]

Labor market improvement is gaining steam. Initial unemployment insurance claims fell to 348,000 last week from 361,000 during the week prior (revised from 358,000). Claims averaged 365,250 (-12.9% y/y) during the last four weeks, the [...]