Americans Getting By on $24,000 a Year
ThinkstockThought it is barely above the poverty line, many Americans believe that they can live on $24,000 a year. The number is implausibly low, but perhaps a sign that many people have set their…
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Newest first · Page 331Why Egypt Wants Muhammed Morsi to Resign, by the Numbers
You heard the great hope behind the Arab Spring after riots and coups in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere in Northern Africa and the Middle East. If Egypt’s economic numbers were translated elsewhere into a…
ISM Reports Manufacturing Growth in June, but Not in Employment
ThinkstockThe Institute for Supply Management (ISM) has issued its report on business for the manufacturing sector, showing that growth resumed in June after contracting in the prior month. ISM’s report was back up at…
Eurozone June PMI: A Region Still Mired in Recession, and Without Solutions
ThinkstockPurchasing managers index (PMI) data for the eurozone continued to be awful in June, although research firm Markit reported that numbers got slightly better. The improvement was no cause for celebration. The region continues…
Euro Area Unemployment Reaches 12.1% in May
ThinkstockBy way of contrast, during the depths of the U.S. recession, unemployment peaked at 10.1%. Eurostat announced that May unemployment in the euro area hit 12.1% in May, staggering given the fact that the…
German PMI Falters — Markit
ThinkstockGermany did not join the parade of European Union (EU) nations which showed very, very modest improvements in manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI). France, Spain and Italy continue to post contractions, albeit at a…
France, Italy, Spain PMI for June — Markit
ThinkstockMarkit issued manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) numbers for June for France, Italy and Spain. The figures painted a picture of a region still in recession with some modest improvements in pockets. Markit reported…
China PMI Drops to 50.1 in June
ThinkstockIt’s official. The manufacturing sector of China has reached a dead halt. June purchasing managers index (PMI) was 50.1%, just a tad above the point of contraction. The number is inaccurate enough the contraction…
Consumer Sentiment Improves in Late June
ThinkstockThe preliminary June reading on the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment reading came in at 82.7. Today’s final June reading rose to 84.1, above a consensus estimate of 83, but slightly below a…
Chicago PMI: Largest Drop Since 2008
ThinkstockThe Institute for Supply Management – Chicago reported that its purchasing managers’ index (PMI) reading for June fell to 51.6. That is down from a 14-month high of 58.7 in May, and well below…
Fed Governor Stein Says Decision on Asset Purchases “Looms”
ThinkstockAs the Federal Reserve moves down the path of asset purchases intended to produce “substantial improvement” in employment while keeping inflation under control, markets are demanding more precise information about the conditions that would…
French Consumer Confidence Implodes: INSEE
ThinkstockFrance’s stat operation INSEE reported that French consumer confidence cratered in June. The region’s second largest economy may not be in as much trouble as Italy or Spain, but its citizens believe otherwise, at…
German Retail Sales Rise Rapidly in May
ThinkstockThe signs that the German economy is in a recovery instead of a period of stagnation have continued to grow. Retail sales data for May confirmed this. The Germany consumer has become an engine…
Seven-Year Treasury Yields Rise to Two-Year High
ThinkstockThe U.S. Treasury Department auctioned $29 billion in 7-year notes today at a high yield of 1.932%, the highest yield on the 7-year notes since July of 2011. The bid-to-cover ratio was 2.61, within…
Kansas City Fed Index Slips, but Expectations Are Positive
ThinkstockThe manufacturing survey from the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank posted a reading of -5 in June, down from 2 in May and equal to the readings in March and April. A reading above…