Key Economic Indicators-May 20, 2013

  • Advance estimates of retail and food services sales for April were up 0.1% from March, and were up 3.7% from April 2012.
  • Total manufacturing and trade sales decreased 1.1% in March, while inventories held steady.
  • Total Industrial production decreased 0.5% in April.
  • Housing starts decreased 16.5% in April, while building permits increased 14.3%.
  • The housing market index of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo increased 3 points to 44 in May.
  • The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.51% for the week ending May 16, up from last week when it averaged 3.42%, according to the weekly survey of Freddie Mac.
  • Mortgage applications decreased 7.3% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending May 10th.
  • The federal government budget ran a surplus of $112.9 billion in April, after a deficit of $106.5 billion in the previous month.
  • Treasury International Capital reported net foreign purchases of long-term securities of $15.3 billion in March.
  • The consumer price index (headline index) decreased 0.4% in April, while the core index increased 0.1%. The consumer price index (headline index) increased 1.1% for the 12-month period ending in April, while the core index rose 1.7%.
  • The producer price index for finished goods (headline index) decreased 0.7% in April, while the core index increased 0.1%. The producer price index for finished goods increased 0.6% from April 2012 to April 2013.
  • The import price index decreased 0.5% in April, while the export price index decreased 0.7%. The import price index decreased 2.6% from April 2012, while the price index for exports decreased 0.9%.
  • The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance increased 32 thousand to 360 thousand in the week ending May 11.
  • Real average hourly earnings for all employees increased 0.5% from March to April.
  • Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in April.
  • The May 2013 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicated that the conditions for New York manufacturers declined marginally.
  • The Philadelphia FED business outlook survey for May reported weakened manufacturing activity.
  • The Conference Board index of leading economic indicators increased 0.6% in April, while the coincident index increased 0.1%.

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