ThinkstockThe Federal Reserve Bank of New York has released its Empire Manufacturing Survey for the month of April. While conditions improved slightly, the overall index posted a drop of about six points to 3.1…
ThinkstockWholesale inventories and sales should be a relevant economic reading, but the one month lag can mute the reaction to the news. The Commerce Department reported that wholesale inventories were down 0.3% and sales…
ThinkstockWednesday brought about the report from the Institute for Supply Management in the non-manufacturing sector. The ISM non-manufacturing figure for March came in 54.4%. Unfortunately that is shy of the 56.0% expected by Bloomberg,…
ThinkstockThe United States apparently still manufactures some things, contrary to the reports about us only being a service economy. The Commerce Department showed that factory orders rose by 3.0% in February to just under…
ThinkstockNouriel Roubini, who hates all things optimistic, particularly as they relate to the global economy and the financial future of nations, cast a vote for the United States as a potential “beacon of hope.”…
ThinkstockWhile the nation’s unemployment rates remains at an historically poor rate of 7.7% and the Federal Reserve vows to keep rates low until the number is lower than 6.5%, there are a few states…
ThinkstockAmericans are more confident in the economy than they were last year, a recent Gallup poll reveals. And optimism about the national economy, it appears, is largely driven by prosperity at the local level.…
ThinkstockOn Thursday at 8:30 a.m. EST, we will get the second revision to the fourth-quarter 2012 gross domestic product (GDP). This is considered the final revision, and Wall St. economists are expecting the numbers to…
Ed Brown, via Wikimedia CommonsThe landscape of unemployment rates has not changed much since the depths of the recession. Most of the cities with the highest unemployment are in the middle of California, and…
ThinkstockThe Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reported the so-called Philly Fed Index today, putting the index back in positive territory, outside of contraction, for the month of March. Today’s reading came to 2.0, up…
ThinkstockCyprus is not the only major concern for the European Union. The purchasing managers index (PMI) for the region plunged in March as more evidence came in that austerity may widen deficits rather than…
ThinkstockCyprus is in the midst of trying to keep capital in the country, as smart individuals, companies and investors pull money from the troubled nation. The notion that savings could be taxed as a…
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) has raised its target for first quarter GDP growth to 2.3%. The move should have been expected, and will almost certainly be followed by other increased targets…
ThinkstockForget national consumer confidence figures for a moment. The Conference Board has just announced that when it releases its monthly Consumer Confidence Index you are no longer just going to see the national figure.…
ThinkstockOne of the goals of the social safety net established over the past 80 years has been to give, in stages, people who cannot afford essentials access to them. No one can argue that…