Consumer confidence inched down in November to 109.5, the lowest since March, as inflation continued to take its toll. … READ MORE >
Trade in 2022: Supply chain challenges and policy implications
Nearly two years after the pandemic shut down the global economy, policymakers are facing a new challenge as global supply chain bottlenecks push up inflation and hamper economic growth. How countries confront these disruptions will have a big impact on economic growth in the coming year. … READ MORE >
Pending home sales in October rebounded to highest in 2021
Pending home sales rebounded by 7.5% in October following a small decline of 2.4% in the previous month, continuing their rise from the recent low in April. … READ MORE >
Personal spending and income rose in October, beating expectations
October’s personal income and spending data released by the government on Wednesday gave more reasons to end the short Thanksgiving week on a good note. Personal income rose by 0.5% on the month, beating expectations of a 0.2% increase, … READ MORE >
Surprises in jobless claims and goods trade make up for decline in durable goods orders
Encouraging economic news came from the early release of data on Wednesday: Jobless claims dropped to 199,000 last week, the lowest since 1969, while the advance goods trade deficit narrowed significantly to $82.9 billion in October, led by a sharp rise in exports. … READ MORE >
Holiday inventory problem: Some firms are better prepared than others
While the demand for goods remains strong and supplies are constrained, the impact of inventory shortages is in fact uneven across sectors. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Existing home sales inched up in October
Sales of existing homes inched up by 0.8% in October to 6.34 million, carrying some of the momentum in September, when sales jumped by a significant 7.0%, according to data released by the National Association of Realtors on Monday. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Decline in initial jobless claims slows
New filings for jobless claims showed little change for the week ending Nov. 13 with a decrease of 1,000 from the prior week to 268,000, marking an easing in the pace of declines from early October. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Housing starts lag as permits rise
Mixed results came from the housing sector in October as housing starts inched down by 0.7% while building permits rose sharply by 4.0% on the month. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Industrial production climbed back in October
Industrial production rebounded in October with a gain of 1.6% after a significant slowdown in September because of Hurricane Ida, pointing to healthy growth for the rest of the year. … READ MORE >









