Economics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review Hey U.S. Economy, Pace Yourself A revision to GDP figures released this week report that the U.S. economy grew at a 3.9 percent annualized rate in the third quarter. Early indicators of fourth quarter growth were not quite as rosy. We learned that, although consumer spending is […]
Continue ReadingEconomics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review Despite Falling Energy Prices, Inflation Hangs in There Headline inflation continues to be held down by falling energy prices. Core prices, however, are inching up and look to be stable on a year-ago basis. Industrial production disappointed in October as it slipped 0.1 percent. Weakness was concentrated […]
Continue ReadingEconomics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review Labor Market Strength Pushes Economy Forward Following last week’s report of 214,000 new jobs added in the economy, labor market indicators remained firm this week. The JOLTS survey showed that more individuals are comfortable enough with current job prospects to quit their current job, while hires continued […]
Continue ReadingEconomics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review Downward Revisions, but Growth Abound Nonfarm payrolls increased by 214,000 in October, with upward revisions to prior months. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.8 percent, while average hours and wages perked up in the month. The ISM indices point to continued expansion in October, with the manufacturing […]
Continue ReadingEconomics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review Staying the Course – The FOMC announced an end to its most recent round of asset purchases this week. The move comes as economic growth remained strong in the third quarter, advancing at a 3.5 percent annualized rate. – Consumer confidence rose 5.5 points to the […]
Continue ReadingEconomics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review More Growth Moving Forward The Chicago Fed National Activity Index and the Leading Economic Index, aggregators of already-released economic data, both sent positive signals for current and future growth. Headline and core CPI advanced just 0.1 percent in September, leaving the year-ago rates unchanged at 1.7 percent. […]
Continue ReadingEconomics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review Ghouls, Hobgoblins and Global Turmoil This week’s scary headlines helped stoke financial market volatility and raise fears about the economic growth and reawaken concerns about deflation Economic reports were generally mixed this week, with weaker reports on retail sales, producer prices and business inventories but stronger […]
Continue ReadingEconomics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review Continued Signs of Labor Market Improvement Job openings data continued to point toward more robust labor market conditions. The number of openings touched a 13-year high for the series. Wholesale inventories rose 0.7 percent in August while July’s inventory build was revised higher. Softer sales […]
Continue ReadingEconomics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review Expansion Remains Strong for Q3 Employment growth rebounded in September, with payrolls rising 248,000 and the unemployment rate falling to 5.9 percent. The U.S. consumer looks a bit stronger, with better monthly gains in personal income and spending for August. The ISM manufacturing index slipped in September, […]
Continue ReadingEconomics Group: Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary U.S. Review Economy Firms Heading into Fall The third print for Q2 GDP showed the economy advancing at 4.6 percent annualized clip compared to the initially reported 4.0 percent rate. Following record aircraft orders in July, durable goods orders plunged 18.2 percent in August. Excluding the volatile transportation sector, […]
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