ThinkstockImport and export prices were tame in the month of April. The Labor Department’s reading of import and export prices showed that import prices rose by 0.5%, right in line with the Dow Jones…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Treasury reported today that the U.S. government posted a surplus of $112.9 billion in the month of April. The consensus estimate had called for a surplus of $107.5 billion. In April 2012…
ThinkstockEver since the Federal Reserve began its first quantitative easing program in late 2008, Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker has been warning that future inflation is going to run wild and doom us all.…
ThinkstockToday’s big news on top of a record for the DJIA and S&P 500 was the drop in unemployment to 7.5% and the better-than-expected payrolls of 165,000. Now we have the Institute for Supply…
ThinkstockThe Institute for Supply Management has reported the regional New York ISM data for April, saying that the hiccups have faded. April’s regional data for New York rose to 58.3 in what nearly reversed…
ThinkstockLast year, the average American driver wasted 38 hours sitting in traffic. While the occasional traffic jam inconveniences most drivers, some unlucky people live in the nation’s most congested cities. In addition to spending…
ThinkstockEconomic readings are generally coming in weaker than expected, and you have to wonder how well the unemployment and payrolls report can come in this Friday. We have just seen a weaker-than-expected Chicago Purchasing…
ThinkstockThe Chicago Purchasing Managers Index for the month of April came out as recessionary, or in contraction. This is yet another regional economic report confirming that weakness is ruling the roost. Overall the index fell…
ThinkstockThe Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas is out with its report on manufacturing activity for the month of April. We have seen continued regional weakness for reports covering March and April, and the report…
ThinkstockPersonal income and consumer spending managed to post very moderate growth in the month of March. The Commerce Department projected that personal income rose by 0.2% and spending also rose by 0.2%. Bloomberg was…
ThinkstockThis Friday marked the final Reuters University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment reading for the month of April. After a weak gross domestic product reading, the fix was already in and, this being a revision,…
ThinkstockThe economic readings have come in weaker than expected, and that was leading up to a weaker-than-expected report on gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter. The Commerce Department showed that first-quarter GDP…
ThinkstockThe report on durable goods for the month of March is turning out to not be too durable. This is a highly volatile reading because it involves so many big ticket items from airlines to…
Another weak reading was issued from yet another regional Federal Reserve Bank. The Richmond Fed reading fell sharply to -6 in April, versus a reading of 3 in March. Bloomberg had a consensus reading set…
ThinkstockThe Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago is out with its National Activity Index for the month of March. Unfortunately, this is yet one more reading in negative territory. The index fell to -0.23, versus…