Economy in Brief: February 2020

The economy watchers index is at odds with itself this month and recently. The current index rose to 41.9 in January from 39.7 in December, its third month-to-month improvement in a row. But the future index fell to 41.8 in January [...]

The labor market strengthened as the new year began. Nonfarm payroll employment during January increased 225,000 (1.5% y/y) after rising 147,000 in December, revised from 145,000. November employment rose 261,000, revised from [...]

• Consumer credit jumped $22.1 billion in December. • Credit growth for 2019 was fairly steady at 4.7% versus 4.8% in 2018. Consumer credit outstanding increased $22.1 billion (4.7% year-on-year) to $4.197 trillion in December, [...]

The labor market strengthened as the new year began. Nonfarm payroll employment during January increased 225,000 (1.5% y/y) after rising 147,000 in December, revised from 145,000. November employment rose 261,000, revised from [...]

Wholesale inventories edged down 0.2% m/m (+2.1% y/y) in December after an upwardly revised 0.1% m/m rise in November (initially -0.1% m/m). The Informa Global Markets Survey anticipated a 0.1% decline in December. For all of Q4, [...]

Germany's industrial production fell 3.5% in December. There are declines in December in consumer goods, capital goods and intermediate goods. Construction spending was lower in December. Manufacturing IP in December fell 2.9%. The [...]

The labor market strengthened as the new year began. Nonfarm payroll employment during January increased 225,000 (1.5% y/y) after rising 147,000 in December, revised from 145,000. November employment rose 261,000, revised from [...]

Initial claims for unemployment insurance declined 7,000 to 216,000 during the week ended January 25.. Continuing claims for unemployment insurance in the week ended January 18 declined 44,000 to 1.703 million...... Data on weekly [...]