Archive for February, 2013
Monday, February 25th, 2013
- Housing starts in January were down 8.5% from December, but were up 23.6% from January 2012.
- January existing home sales were up 0.4% from the previous month, and were up from January 2012. The median sales price of existing houses sold was $173.6 thousand, 12.3% above January 2012.
- The housing market index of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo decreased a point to 46 in February.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed average fixed mortgage rates changing little over past four weeks.
- The producer price index for finished goods (headline index) increased 0.2% in January, while the core index increased 0.2%. The producer price index for finished goods increased 1.4% from January 2012 to January 2013.
- The consumer price index (headline index) held steady in January, while the core index increased 0.3%. The consumer price index increased 1.6% for the 12-month period ending in January, while the core index rose 1.9%.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance increased 20 thousand to 362 thousand in the week ending February 16.
- Real average hourly earnings for all employees increased 0.2% from December to January.
- The Philadelphia FED business outlook survey for February reported that manufacturing activity continued to decline.
- The Conference Board index of leading economic indicators increased 0.2%, while the coincident index increased 0.4%.
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Monday, February 18th, 2013
- Advance estimates of retail and food services sales for January were up 0.1% from December, and were up 4.4% from January 2012.
- Total manufacturing and trade sales increased 0.3% in December, while inventories increased 0.1%.
- Total Industrial production decreased 0.1% in January, following a 0.4% increase in the previous month. The rate of capacity utilization for total industry was 79.1%, a level 1.1 percentage points below its 1972-2012 average, but 0.4 percentage point above its level in January 2012.
- The federal government budget ran a surplus of $2.9 billion in January, after a deficit of $1.2 billion in the previous month.
- Treasury International Capital reported net foreign purchases of long-term securities of $76.5 billion in December, compared with net purchases of $61.5 billion in the previous month.
- The import price index increased 0.6% in January, while export prices increased 0.3%.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 27 thousand to 341 thousand in the week ending February 9.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates unchanged from the previous week and remaining near their record lows.
- Mortgage applications decreased 6.4% from a week earlier week, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending February 8.
- The January Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicated that the conditions for New York manufacturers improved for the first time since the summer of last year.
- The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment, preliminary, rose to 76.3 in February from 73.8 in January.
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Monday, February 11th, 2013
- Sales of domestic cars increased 1.4% in January, following a 0.6% decrease in the previous month. Total light vehicle (cars and light trucks) sales decreased 6.0% in January, after a 1.0% decrease in the previous month. Sales were 15.231 million units in January, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, compared to 13.929 million in January of 2012.
- New orders for manufactured goods increased 1.8% in December, while shipments increased 0.4%.
- Sales of merchant wholesalers in December were up less than 0.1%, while inventories were down 0.1%.
- In December international trade deficit was $38.5 billion, $10.1 billion less than the revised November figure.
- Fourth quarter productivity decreased 2.0% (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the non-farm business sector, following a 3.2% increase in the previous period. Unit labor costs increased 4.5% in the fourth quarter, following a 2.3% decrease in the previous quarter.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 5 thousand to 366 thousand in the week ending February 2.
- December consumer credit outstanding increased at an annual rate of 6.3%.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates either unchanged or lower.
- Mortgage applications increased 3.4% from a week earlier week, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending February 1.
- In January, the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) non-manufacturing survey results indicated growth in the non-manufacturing business activity for the 37th consecutive month.
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Monday, February 4th, 2013
- Real GDP decreased at an annual rate of 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, after increasing at 3.1% in the previous quarter.
- Personal income increased 2.6%, in December, while personal consumption expenditures increased 0.2%. The price index for personal consumption expenditures held steady in December, following a 0.2% decrease in the previous month.
- Total non-farm payroll employment rose 157 thousand to 134.825 million in January, following an increase of 196 thousand in the previous month. Private-sector payrolls increased by 166 thousand in the month, while government employment decreased by 9 thousand.
- The unemployment rate increased to 7.9% in January, from 7.8% in December of 2012.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance increased 38 thousand to 368 thousand in the week ending January 26.
- The Employment Cost Index for total compensation rose 0.5%, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending December 2012, following a 0.4% increase for the 3–month period ending September 2012.
- New orders for manufactured durable goods increased 4.6% in December, while Shipments increased 1.3%.
- December construction spending was up 0.9% from November, and was up 7.8% from December 2011.
- The Pending Home Sales Index, a leading indicator for the housing sector, decreased 4.3% to a reading of 101.7 in December, according to the National Association of Realtors.
- The S & P/Case-Shiller National U.S. Home Price Index posted annual increases of 4.5% and 5.5% in November, for the 10-city and 20-city composite indices, respectively.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates continuing to trend higher. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.53% with an average 0.7 point for the week ending January 31, up from last week when it averaged 3.42%.
- Mortgage applications decreased 8.1% from a week earlier week, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending January 25th.
- The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing survey indicated that the manufacturing sector expanded in January for the second consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 44th consecutive month.
- The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index, which had declined in December, fell further in January.
- The Federal Open Market Committee decided to keep its target for the federal funds rate at 0 to 0.25%.
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