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. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Initial jobless claims drop as omicron crests
New filings for jobless claims last week fell to 260,000, following the 14-week high of 290,000 in the previous week as COVID-19 cases continued to retreat from their record high in January, according to government data released Thursday.
… 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. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Consumer confidence falls as omicron sets in
Consumers showed less confidence in January as the impact of the omicron variant weighed on expectations, according to a report from the Conference Board on Tuesday. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Existing home sales fall 4.6%
Existing home sales in the United States cooled off significantly in December, dropping 4.6% on the month to 6.18 million homes sold amid near-record housing prices and supply constraints. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims reach 13-week high amid omicron variant’s surge
New filings for jobless benefits last week jumped to 286,000, the second sharp increase in a row from 231,000 the week before amid a surge in coronavirus cases. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Housing starts and permits end year with upside surprises
The housing market ended the year strong as housing starts and permits rose unexpectedly in December, beating earlier estimates of potential declines. … READ MORE >
RSM US Supply Chain Index: The worst may have passed, but choppy waters remain
The strength of the supply chain in the United States showed significant improvement for a second straight month in December after reaching a two-decade low in October, according to the newest data from the RSM US Supply Chain Index. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Industrial production inched down in December
The omicron variant’s spread put pressure on industrial production in December as production declined by 0.1%, missing the estimate of a 0.2% increase on the month, according to data from the Federal Reserve on Friday. … READ MORE >
U.S. retail sales decline despite a strong holiday season
Price pressures and continued labor shortages magnified by the rapid spread of the omicron variant drove retail sales down by a disappointing 1.9% in December. … READ MORE >









