The index showed that labor cost growth fell to 1.0% on a quarterly basis, and to 5.1% on a year-ago basis for all workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Cost Index released on Tuesday. … READ MORE >
American consumers grow more cautious as spending falls
Personal spending fell by 0.2% in dollar terms in December and by 0.3% after adjusting for inflation, which rose by 0.1% on the month. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims fall despite layoff news
New filings for unemployment benefits fell to 186,000 last week, a 10-month low. … READ MORE >
Back-to-normal supply chain fuels disinflation tailwind
Supply chains in the United States continued to recover in December, remaining at the pre-COVID level for the sixth straight month, according to the RSM US Supply Chain Index. … READ MORE >
Home sales dropped by 17.8% last year in biggest drop since 2008
December’s sales declined by 1.5% to 4.02 million units annualized. That brought the total number of units sold last year to 5.03 million, 17.8% lower than in 2021. … READ MORE >
Housing starts fell last year for the first time since 2009
Housing starts dropped by 1.4% on an annualized month-ago basis, while building permits fell by 1.6%. For all of last year, housing starts fell by 3%. … READ MORE >
U.S. retail sales and producer inflation fall as spending weakens
Retail sales and producer inflation data came in lower than expected in December, giving the Federal Reserve more reasons to begin to slow down its rate hikes. … READ MORE >
Canada job gains top forecast, complicating decision on rates
The Canadian labour market added 104,000 net jobs in December, significantly higher than the forecast of 5,000. … READ MORE >
Manufacturing posts first decline in nearly 3 years
Industry and government data on Wednesday continued to paint a mixed picture of the economy as the end of the business cycle is approaching. The manufacturing sector showed its first monthly contraction following 30 straight months of growth, highlighting the impact of restrictive monetary conditions the Federal Reserve continued to impose on the sector to fight inflation. … READ MORE >
Canada inflation eases, but the fight is not over
November’s headline consumer price index in Canada dropped to a 6.8% increase from 6.9% on a year-ago basis, remaining significantly above the 2% target rate. … READ MORE >









