The American economy continued to show resilience in the first quarter though signs of softening in the future emerged, according to data on durable goods and consumer confidence released Tuesday. In perhaps the most significant development on inflation, housing prices, a sticking point in the ... READ MORE >
capital goods
Softer economic data reaffirms prospect of a soft landing
The Federal Reserve's restrictive monetary stance showed that it continues to affect the economy in the first two months of the year. In other words, the Fed is getting closer to its goal of achieving a soft landing when the economy cools back down to a sustainable level of growth with inflation under ... READ MORE >
Surprises in jobless claims and goods trade make up for decline in durable goods orders
Encouraging economic news came from the government's 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. The jobs data was a ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: U.S. durable goods orders stall
Orders for long-lasting factory goods decreased for the first time in 10 months in February, according to U.S. Department of Commerce data released on Wednesday. New orders for durable goods fell 1.1% to a seasonally adjusted $254 billion in February, compared with January, while new orders for ... READ MORE >