American consumers continued to spend more in April as inflation showed signs of relief. The combination of higher incomes, excess savings and lower energy prices helped to alleviate some of the recent recession concerns. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Pending home sales fell in April
Pending home sales in April dropped more than expected as mortgage rates climbed toward a multidecade high. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims show signs of bottoming out
New filings for jobless benefits last week inched down to 210,000 as a tight labor market kept layoffs below pre-pandemic levels. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: American businesses kept investing in April despite rising costs
Durable goods orders rose 0.4% on the month, following a downward revised 0.6% in March, according to data from the Commerce Department on Wednesday. … READ MORE >
New home sales fell 16.6% in April to lowest level since pandemic began
New home sales plummeted in April to their lowest since the onset of the pandemic amid a steep rise in mortgage rates and elevated prices. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: U.S. existing home sales fall again as rates rise
Sales of existing homes fell for the third straight month as the housing market continued to cool off amid steep mortgage-rate increases. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims rise to 16-week high
Initial filings for jobless benefits last week reached 218,000—the average level in 2019—from a downwardly revised 197,000 in the prior week. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: U.S. housing starts fall amid rising mortgage rates
Housing starts fell by 0.2% on the month to 1.724 million annualized, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Industrial production hits record
The Federal Reserve’s index for industrial production volume rose by 0.8%, the fourth consecutive month of strong expansion. … READ MORE >
U.S. retail sales: A solid month of growth
Retail sales in the United States rose by 0.9% in April from a month earlier, the U.S. Census Bureau reported on Tuesday. … READ MORE >