The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased marginally in July, following a modest decline in June. The Index now stands at 127.4 (1985=100), up from 127.1 in June. The Present Situation Index improved from 161.7 to 165.9, while the Expectations Index declined from 104.0 last month to 101.7 ...

The MNI Chicago Business Barometer rose to a six-month high of 65.5 in June, up 1.4 points from 64.1 in June.

Businesses’ operations rose at a swifter pace in July, with activity up for the fourth straight month. All but one of the Barometer components rose on the month, with only Supplier Deliveries losing ground, leaving the Barometer up 10.1% on the year. ...

S&P Dow Jones Indices today released the latest results for the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices. Data released today for May 2018 shows that home prices continued their rise across the country over the last 12 months.

YEAR-OVER-YEAR
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 6.4% annual gain in May, remaining the same as in the previous month. The 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 6.1%, down from 6.4% ...

The Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch for July shows slight declines in the rates of small business jobs and wage growth. At 99.34 in July, the Small Business Jobs Index is down 0.63 percent year-over-year. Hourly earnings growth stands at 2.42 percent, up $0.63 from a year ago. Since last July, hourly earnings growth has ...

Personal income increased $71.7 billion (0.4 percent) in June according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI) increased $65.3 billion (0.4 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $57.1 billion ...

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in June 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation costs) increased 0.5 percent and benefit costs (which make up the remaining 30 percent ...

The robust expansion in Texas factory activity continued in July, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose six points to 29.4, signaling an acceleration in ...

Pending home sales increased in all four major regions in June, but overall activity lagged year ago levels for the sixth straight month, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 0.9 percent to 106.9 in June from 105.9 in May. Despite last month’s increase, contract signings are still down 2.5 percent on an annual basis. ...

Consumer sentiment was virtually unchanged from last month, and was nearly identical with the average since the start of 2017, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

Despite the expectation of higher inflation and higher interest rates during the year ahead, consumers have kept their confidence at high levels due to favorable job and income prospects, said U-M economist Richard Curtin, director of the surveys. ...

Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018, according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 2.2 percent (revised).

The Bureau emphasized that the second-quarter advance estimate released today is based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency (see "Source Data for the Advance Estimate" on page 2). The "second" estimate for the second ...

Tenth District manufacturing activity continued to expand solidly in July, with the composite index dipping slightly after May’s record-high reading. Expectations for future growth remained high, despite many firms citing labor tightness and tariffs as increasingly worrisome. Price indexes also continued ...

New Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in June increased $2.5 billion or 1.0 percent to $251.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, followed a 0.3 percent May decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.4 percent. Excluding defense, new ...

In the week ending July 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 217,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 207,000 to 208,000. The 4-week moving average was 218,000, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

New Home Sales
Sales of new single-family houses in June 2018 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 631,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 5.3 percent (±17.1 percent)* below the revised May rate of 666,000, but is 2.4 percent ...

Mortgage applications decreased 0.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 20, 2018.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index remained unchanged from the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 1 percent from ...

Fifth District manufacturing expanded at a slower pace in July, according to results of the most recent survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The composite manufacturing index fell from 21 in June to 20 in July, but it remained in solid expansionary territory. This decrease resulted from a decrease in the employment and ...

Responses to the July Nonmanufacturing Business Outlook Survey suggest that nonmanufacturing activity continued to expand in the region. The firm-level index of general activity and new orders decreased but remained elevated, while the sales/revenues index rose moderately. The full-time employment index continued its climb during recent ...

Existing-home sales decreased for the third straight month in June, as declines in the South and West exceeded sales gains in the Northeast and Midwest, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The ongoing supply and demand imbalance helped push June’s median sales price to a new ...

Led by improvements in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) rebounded to +0.43 in June from –0.45 in May. Two of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index increased from May, and three of the four categories made positive contributions to the index ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI)for the U.S. increased 0.5 percent in June to 109.8 (2016 = 100), following no change in May, and a 0.4 percent increase in April.

“The U.S. LEI increased in June, pointing to continuing solid growth in the U.S. economy,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. “The widespread growth in leading indicators, with the exception of housing permits ...

Regional manufacturing activity continued to expand in July, according to results from this month’s Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey. All the broad indicators remained positive, with the general activity and new orders indexes improving this month. The survey’s price indexes suggest widespread increases for purchased inputs, and more ...

In the week ending July 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 207,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since December 6, 1969 when it was 202,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 214,000 to 215,000. The 4-week moving ...

Economic activity continued to expand across the United States, with 10 of the 12 Federal Reserve Districts reporting moderate or modest growth. The outliers were the Dallas District, which reported strong growth driven in part by the energy sector, and the St. Louis District where growth was described as slight. Manufacturers in all ...

Building Permits
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,273,000. This is 2.2 percent (±1.2 percent) below the revised May rate of 1,301,000 and is 3.0 percent (±1.1 percent) below the June 2017 rate of 1,312,000. Single-family authorizations in June were at a rate ...

Mortgage applications decreased 2.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 13, 2018. Last week's results included an adjustment for the Fourth of ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for May 2018. The sum total in May of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a net TIC inflow of $69.9 billion. Of this, net foreign private inflows were $58.8 billion, and net ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes remained unchanged at a solid 68 reading in July on the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI).

“Consumer demand for single-family homes is holding strong this summer, buoyed by steady job growth, income gains and low unemployment in many parts of the country,” said NAHB Chairman Randy Noel. ...

Industrial production rose 0.6 percent in June after declining 0.5 percent in May. For the second quarter as a whole, industrial production advanced at an annual rate of 6.0 percent, its third consecutive quarterly increase. Manufacturing output moved up 0.8 percent in June. The production of motor vehicles and parts rebounded last month ...

The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for May, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,449.7 billion, up 1.4 percent (±0.2 percent) from April 2018 and was up 8.6 percent (±1.2 percent) from ...

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for June 2018, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $506.8 billion, an increase of 0.5 percent (±0.4 percent) from the previous month, and 6.6 percent (±0.5 percent) above June 2017. Total sales for the April 2018 ...

Business activity continued to grow at a fairly brisk pace in New York State, according to firms responding to the July 2018 Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index edged down by over two points to 22.6—still a high level, suggesting a continuation of robust growth. The new orders index dipped three ...

Consumer sentiment slipped in early July but remained nearly equal to the average in the prior twelve months (97.7) and since the start of 2017 (97.4). The continuing strength has been due to favorable job and income prospects, with consumers under age 45 anticipating the largest income gains since July 2000. So far, the strength in jobs ...

U.S. import prices decreased 0.4 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, following a 0.9-percent advance in May. Lower prices for nonfuel and fuel imports contributed to the June decline. Prices for U.S. exports rose 0.3 percent in June, after rising 0.6 percent the previous ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.1 percent in June on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.2 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index rose 2.9 percent before ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees increased 0.1 percent from May to June, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from a 0.2-percent increase in average hourly earnings combined with a 0.1-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

In the week ending July 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, a decrease of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 231,000 to 232,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,000, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

May 2018 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $509.0 billion, up 2.5 percent (±0.4 percent) from the revised April level and were up 11.8 percent (±3.3 percent) from the May 2017 level. The March 2018 ...

The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.3 percent in June, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices advanced 0.5 percent in May and 0.1 percent in April. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index moved up 3.4 percent for the 12 months ended in June, the ...

Mortgage applications increased 2.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 6, 2018. This week's results included an adjustment for the Fourth of ...

The number of job openings edged down to 6.6 million on the last business day of May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires and separations were little changed at 5.8 million and 5.5 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits rate and the layoffs and discharges rate were little changed at 2.4 ...

The Small Business Optimism Index posted its sixth highest reading in survey history for the month of June, at 107.2, down 0.6 from May. Since December 2016, the Index has averaged an unprecedented 105.4, well above the 45-year average of 98 and rivaling the all-time high of 108.0 in ...

In May, consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 7-1/2 percent. Revolving credit increased at an annual rate of 11-1/2 percent, while nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 6-1/4 percent.

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The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in June, after decreasing in May. The index now stands at 108.94, up from 107.72 in May. The change represents a 5.2 percent gain in the ETI compared to a year ago.

“As expected, after decreasing in May, the Employment Trends Index continued its solid path upwards in June, with positive contributions from all of its components,” said Gad Levanon, Chief Economist, North America, at The Conference Board. “The labor market will continue ...

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 213,000 in June, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job growth occurred in professional and business services, manufacturing, and health care, while retail trade ...

The nation's international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $43.1 billion in May from $46.1 billion in April (revised), as exports increased more than imports. The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $43.1 billion in May, down $3.0 billion from ...

Economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in June for the 101st consecutive month, say the nation’s purchasing and supply executives in the latest Non-Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.

The NMI® registered 59.1 percent, which is 0.5 percentage point higher than the May reading of 58.6 percent. This represents continued growth in the non-manufacturing sector at a slightly faster rate. The Non-Manufacturing Business Activity Index increased to 63.9 percent, ...

In the week ending June 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 231,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 227,000 to 228,000. The 4-week moving average was 224,500, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

Private sector employment increased by 177,000 jobs from May to June according to the June ADP National Employment Report®.

“The labor market continues to march towards full employment,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and co-head of the ADP Research Institute. “Healthcare led job growth once again and trade rebounded nicely.” ...

Job cuts announced by U.S.-based employers rose 18 percent, from 31,517 in May to 37,202 in June, according to a report released Thursday by global outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Last month’s job cuts were up 19.6 percent from the 31,105 announced in the same month last year.
“In a tight labor market, it’s no surprise employers are hanging on to their current workforces, as four months of this year have seen job cut totals under 40,000. However, in ...

Mortgage applications decreased 0.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 29, 2018.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 0.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 2 ...