Inflation and the omicron surge did not deter American consumers from beginning the year on a strong note as retail sales rebounded sharply in January. Purchases at retail stores, restaurants and online rose 3.8%, outstripping inflation for the first time in three months, the Commerce Department ... READ MORE >
Energy shock: Potential impact of Russian invasion of Ukraine
A tight oil market and potential spillover from geopolitical competition has unnerved investors over the past few months, sending oil prices to elevated levels not observed in years. The price of oil has almost doubled since the start of last year and, given current tensions, is poised to move higher. ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: New jobless claims continue to fall
Initial jobless claims fell for the third straight week as the labor market recovers from the omicron surge. New filings for jobless benefits dropped by 16,000 to 223,000 for the week ending Feb. 5 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to data released by the Labor Department on Thursday. The ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: U.S. trade deficit widens
The U.S. trade deficit widened in December for the second straight month as domestic demand for imported goods ended the year on a strong note. The gap between imports and exports increased by 1.8% to $80.7 billion in December, slightly lower than the all-time high of $80.8 billion in September, ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Jobless claims fall as omicron crests
Initial jobless claims fell in back-to-back weeks as the omicron variant's surge continued to fade in the second half of January, bringing last week's number closer to the pre-pandemic average, according to government data released Thursday. The headline number dropped to 238,000 on a seasonally ... READ MORE >
Manufacturing slowed in January as labor market remained tight
Manufacturing slowed in January as demand moderated from a recent high in November, according to a report from the Institute for Supply Management on Tuesday. The top-line purchasing managers’ index fell to 57.6 on the month from 58.8 previously—the lowest since November 2020. Still, one should not ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Consumer confidence falls amid omicron fears
The consumer sentiment index inched down to 67.2 in January from 70.6 in December as concerns over the omicron variant's surge weighed on consumers both now and in the future, according to a report from the University of Michigan on Friday. The index—known for its strong dependence on gasoline ... READ MORE >
Key gauges of prices and labor rise, affirming likelihood of rate hikes
Two of the Federal Reserve's closely watched gauges for prices and labor costs released on Friday reaffirmed expectations that the central bank will begin raising interest rates in March as the Fed moves to tame inflation. The personal consumption expenditures deflator, the Fed's official indicator for ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Initial jobless claims drop as omicron crests
New filings for jobless claims fell to 260,000 last week, following the 14-week high of 290,000 in the previous week, as COVID-19 cases continued to retreat from their recent record high, according to government data released Thursday. Still, it marked the third week in a row that new jobless claims ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: New home sales rise above 11% for second straight month
Sales of new single-family homes in December beat the market's median estimate by a wide margin, rising by 11.9% to 811,000 on an annual basis, according to data released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday. Although November's reading for the month-over-month change was revised down to 1.7%, that ... READ MORE >