• Advance estimates of retail and food services sales for June were up 0.4% from the previous month, and were up 5.7% from June 2012.
• Total manufacturing and trade sales for May were up 1.1% from April, while inventories were up 0.1%.
• Total Industrial production rose 0.3% in June, after holding steady in the previous month. The rate of capacity utilization for total industry was 77.8%.
• Housing starts decreased 9.9% in June, following an 8.9% increase in the previous month. Building permits in June were 911 thousand units, down 7.5% from May, but were up 16.1% from June 2012.
• The housing market index of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo increased 6 points to 57 in July.
• The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of July 18th showed average fixed mortgage rates easing along with market concerns over the Federal Reserve’s bond purchase program.
• Mortgage applications decreased 2.6% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending July 12th.
• The consumer price index (headline index) increased 0.5% in June, while the core index increased 0.2%. The consumer price index increased 1.8% for the 12-month period ending in June, while the core index rose 1.6%.
• The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 24 thousand to 334 thousand in the week ending July 13th.
• Real average hourly earnings for all employees were unchanged from May to June.
• Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 104.2 million full-time wage and salary workers were up 0.6% from a year earlier.
• Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in June.
• The July 2013 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicated that the conditions for New York manufacturers continued to improve modestly.
• The Philadelphia FED business outlook survey for July reported increased manufacturing activity.
• The Conference Board index of leading economic indicators held steady) in June, while the coincident index increased 0.2%.
• The FED’s “Beige Book” indicated that overall economic activity continued to increase at a modest to moderate pace since the previous report.