Category: Economy

Housing starts declined 4.1% in January to a 1.638 million annual rate, lagging the consensus expected 1.695 million. Starts are […]

The Big Mac Index: A Measure of PPP and Burger Inflation The Big Mac was created in 1967 by Jim […]

Industrial production increased 1.4% in January, easily beating the consensus expected gain of 0.5%. Utilities output rose 9.9% in January, […]

Retail sales rose 3.8% in January (+3.7% including revisions to prior months), easily beating the consensus expected gain of 2.0%. […]

The Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 1.0% in January, well above the consensus expected +0.5%. Producer prices are up 9.7% […]

The financial markets have been on tenterhooks lately for two main reasons: Russia and rate hikes. By the time you […]

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.6% in January, well above the consensus expected +0.4%. The CPI is up 7.5% […]

The trade deficit in goods and services grew to $80.7 billion in December, smaller than the consensus expected $83.0. Exports […]

Nonfarm payrolls increased 467,000 in January, well above the consensus expected 125,000. Private sector payrolls rose 444,000 in January. The […]

The ISM Non-Manufacturing index declined to 59.9 in January, beating the consensus expected 59.5. (Levels above 50 signal expansion; levels […]

Nonfarm productivity (output per hour) increased 6.6% at an annual rate in the fourth quarter, easily beating the consensus expected […]

The ISM Manufacturing Index declined to 57.6 in January, narrowly beating the consensus expected 57.5. (Levels higher than 50 signal […]