Economy in Brief

The consumer exhibited noticeable buying power last month. Total retail sales and spending at restaurants jumped 0.8% (5.8% y/y) during November following a 0.5% October increase, revised from 0.2%. A 0.3% improvement had been [...]

At today's meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the federal funds rate target was raised to a range of 1.25 percent to 1.50 percent from 1.00 percent to 1.25 percent. It was the third action taken this year, lifting rates [...]

The Consumer Price Index increased 0.4% (2.2% y/y) during November following a 0.1% October rise. The gain matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. Prices excluding food & energy rose 0.1% (1.7% y/y). A 0.2% gain [...]

The September decline in EMU industrial production was a stumble not a lasting problem. In October, IP is back in the plus column and since the September drop came on the heels of a strong 1.5% August rise, EMU IP continues to trend [...]

Small business optimism in the U.S. rose 3.7 points in November to 107.5 (1986=100), the second highest reading of this index in the 44-year history of the survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business; the only [...]

The chart is a reasonably good overview of what ZEW economic experts think. For a time, U.S. economic expectations outstripped everyone else - but no more. Over the last few months, in fact, there has been a very slow upgrading in the [...]

Core and headline PPI 'Final Demand' inflation are now moving up together. Both series are more or less sequentially. Headline inflation rises from 3% over 12 months to 3.2% over six months to 5.4% over three months. Core inflation [...]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the total job openings rate in October eased from the record high of 4.0% to 3.9%. The hiring rate rose, however, to 3.8% and equaled the expansion high. These figures are from the Job [...]