Key Economic Indicators – October 15, 2012

  • In August, the international trade deficit was $44.2 billion, $1.7 billion more than the revised July figure.
  • The federal government budget ran a surplus of $75.0 billion in September, after a deficit of $190.5 billion in the previous month. The deficit for the fiscal year 2012 was $1,089.4 billion, compared with a deficit of $1,296.8 billion for the previous fiscal year.
  • August consumer credit outstanding increased at an annual rate of 8.0% to $2,725.6 billion.
  • The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.39% for the week ending October 11, up from last week when it averaged 3.36%.
  • The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased by 30 thousand to 339 thousand in the week ending October 6.
  • The producer price index for finished goods (headline index) increased 1.1% in September, while the core index held steady. The producer price index for finished goods increased 2.1% from September 2011 to September 2012.
  • The import price index increased 1.1% in September, while the export price index increased 0.8%. The import price index decreased 0.2% from September 2011, while the price index for exports decreased 0.5%.
  • The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment, preliminary, increased to 83.1 in October from 78.3 in September. This was the highest reading since September 2007.
  • The FED’s “Beige Book” indicated that overall economic activity generally expanded modestly since the last report.

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