Economy in Brief: April 2008

The e-Zone is showing some loss in momentum particularly among consumer goods and intermediate goods industries. Capital goods momentum has remained in tact albeit with hints of weakness in its recent volatility. In the quarter to [...]

Rice is the latest grain to hit the headlines. Prices of corn, wheat and rice are shown in the first chart. The rise in the price of rice is due in part to increasing consumption and in part to the recent, exceptionally cold winter in [...]

During February, total business inventories matched expectations and rose 0.6%. That followed a 0.9% January increase which was revised up slightly. The annualized three month growth in inventories rose to a quite firm annualized rate [...]

U.S. retail sales during March increased a modest 0.2% after a 0.4% decline during February. The February drop was a bit shallower than the -0.6% reported last month due to a lessening of that month's decline in sales of motor [...]

U.S. retail sales during March increased a modest 0.2% after a 0.4% decline during February. The February drop was a bit shallower than the -0.6% reported last month due to a lessening of that month's decline in sales of motor [...]

The preliminary reading of April consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan fell another 9.1% m/m to 63.2. Consensus expectations had been for a lesser decline to 69.0. The decline dropped sentiment to near its lowest level [...]

The OECD Leading indicators show weakness on a broad scale especially when viewed in their preferred habitat as six month percentage changes. On that basis, however, Japan is showing some more hopeful readings (increases!) even as [...]

Overall import prices surged 2.8% last month. Except for a 3.2% jump last November, the gain was the largest since 1990 and by far outpaced Consensus expectations for a 0.2% uptick. Petroleum prices rose 9.1% as crude oil prices [...]