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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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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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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January 28th, 2013
- December existing home sales decreased 1.0% to an annualized rate of 4,940 thousand units. The December figure was 12.8% above the December 2011 figure. The median sales price of existing houses sold was $180.8 thousand, 11.5% above December 2011.
- December new home sales decreased 7.3% to an annualized rate of 369 thousand units, following a 9.3% increase in the previous month. The December figure was 8.8% above the December 2011 figure. The median sales price of new houses sold was $248.9 thousand, 13.9% above December 2011.
- U.S. House prices rose 0.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis from October to November, after holding steady in the previous period, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) monthly House Price Index. For the 12 months ending in November, U.S. prices rose 5.6%.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates moving higher from the previous week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.42% for the week ending January 24, up from last week when it averaged 3.38%.
- Mortgage applications increased 7.0% from a week earlier week, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending January 18.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased by 5 thousand to 330 thousand in the week ending January 19.
- The Conference Board index of leading economic indicators increased 0.5% in December, while the coincident index increased 0.2%.
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January 21st, 2013
- Advance estimates of retail and food services sales for December were up 0.5% from November, and were up 4.7% from December 2011.
- Total manufacturing and trade sales for November were up 1.0% from October, while inventories were up 0.3%.
- Total Industrial production increased 0.3% in December, following a 1.0% increase in the previous month.
- The federal government budget ran a deficit of $0.3 billion in December, after a deficit of $172.1 billion in the previous month.
- Treasury International Capital reported net foreign purchases of long-term securities of $61.5 billion in November, compared with net purchases of $25.4 billion in the previous month.
- Housing starts increased 12.1% in December, following a 4.3% decrease in the previous month.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates largely unchanged from the previous week.
- Mortgage applications increased 15.2% from a week earlier week, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey.
- The producer price index for finished goods (headline index) decreased 0.2% in December, while the core index increased 0.1%. The producer price index for finished goods increased 1.3% from December 2011 to December 2012.
- The consumer price index (headline index) held steady in December, while the core index, increased 0.1%. The consumer price index increased 1.7% for the 12-month period ending in December. The core index rose 1.9% during the same period.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased by 37 thousand to 335 thousand in the week ending January 12.
- Real average hourly earnings for all employees increased 0.3% from November to December.
- The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment, preliminary, was 71.3 in early January, 1.6 points below the full month reading for December.
- The January Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicated that the conditions for New York manufacturers continued to decline at a modest pace.
- The Philadelphia FED business outlook survey for January reported that manufacturing activity declined modestly, following reported increases in business activity in late 2012.
- The FED’s “Beige Book” indicated that overall economic activity expanded since the last report, with all twelve Districts characterizing the pace of growth as either modest or moderate.
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January 14th, 2013
- Sales of domestic cars decreased 0.7% in December, while total light vehicle (cars and light trucks) sales decreased 1.0%. Total light vehicle sales in the year 2012 were 14.432 million units, compared with 12.733 million in 2011.
- Sales of merchant wholesalers in November were up 2.3%, while inventories were up 0.6%.
- In November international trade deficit was $48.7 billion, $6.6 billion more than the revised October figure.
- The import price index in December was down 0.1% from November, and was down 1.5% from December of 2011. The export price index was down 0.1% from November, but was up 1.1% from December of 2011.
- November consumer credit outstanding increased at an annual rate of 7.0% to $2,768.5 billion.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates moving higher following December’s employment report. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.40% for the week ending January 10, 3013, up from last week when it averaged 3.34%.
- Mortgage applications increased 11.7% from a week earlier week, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending January 4, 2013.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance increased by 4 thousand to 371 thousand in the week ending January 5.
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January 7th, 2013
- Total non-farm payroll employment rose 155 thousand to 134.021 million in December, following an increase of 161 thousand in the previous month. Private-sector payrolls increased by 168 thousand in the month, while government employment decreased by 13 thousand.
- The unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.8%.
- The average workweek of production and non-supervisory employees increased 0.1 to 33.8 hours, while average hourly earnings increased by 6 cents.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance increased by 10 thousand to 372 thousand in the week ending December 29.
- New orders for manufactured goods increased less than 0.1% in November, while shipments increased 0.4%.
- November construction spending decreased 0.3%, following a 0.7% increase in the previous month.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates remaining near all-time record lows. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.34% for the week ending January 3, 2013, down from last week when it averaged 3.35%.
- Mortgage applications for the week ending December 28, 2012 decreased 21.6% from the week ending December 14, 2012 (two weeks prior), according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s Survey.
- The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing survey indicated that the manufacturing sector expanded in December, following one month of contraction, and the overall economy grew for the 43rd consecutive month.
- In December, the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) non-manufacturing survey results indicated growth in the non-manufacturing business activity (exceeded 50.0%) for the 36th consecutive month.
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December 31st, 2012
- November new home sales increased 4.4% to an annualized rate of 377 thousand units. The median sales price of new houses sold was $246.2 thousand, 14.9% above the October 2011 figure.
- The Pending Home Sales Index, a leading indicator for the housing sector, increased 1.7% to a reading of 106.4 in November, according to the National Association of Realtors.
- The S & P/Case-Shiller National U.S. Home Price Index posted annual increases of 3.4% and 4.3% in October, for the 10-city and 20-city composite indices, respectively.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates remaining near record lows. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.35% with an average 0.7 point for the week ending December 27, down from last week when it averaged 3.37%.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased by 12 thousand to 350 thousand in the week ending December 22.
- The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index, which had declined slightly in November, posted another decrease in December.
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December 24th, 2012
- Real GDP increased at an annual rate of 3.1% in the third quarter of 2012, after increasing at 1.3% in the previous quarter. In the second estimate, released a month ago, the increase in real GDP was 2.7%.
- Corporate profits from current production increased $45.7 billion in the third quarter, after a decrease of $21.8 billion in the previous quarter.
- Personal income increased 0.6%, in November, while personal consumption expenditures increased 0.4%.
- The current account deficit decreased to $107.5 billion in the third quarter, from $118.1 billion in the previous quarter.
- Treasury International Capital reported net foreign purchases of long-term securities of $28.4 billion in October, compared with net purchases of $17.8 billion in the previous month.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance increased by 17 thousand to 361 thousand in the week ending December 15.
- New orders for manufactured durable goods increased 0.7% in November, while shipments rose 1.5%.
- Housing starts decreased 3.0% in November, following a 5.3% increase in the previous month.
- November existing home sales increased 5.9% to an annualized rate of 5,040 thousand units. The median price of was $180.6 thousand, 10.1% above November 2011.
- The housing market index of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo rose 2 points to 47 in December, its highest level since April 2006.
- U.S. House prices rose 0.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis from September to October, after holding steady in the previous period, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) monthly House Price Index.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates remained near record lows.
- Mortgage applications decreased 12.3% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending December 14, 2012.
- The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment decreased to 72.9 in December, the weakest since July, from 82.7 in November.
- The December Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicated that the conditions for New York manufacturers continued to decline at a modest pace.
- The Philadelphia FED business outlook survey for December reported that manufacturing activity rebounded, following reported declines in business activity in late October and early November.
- The Conference Board index of leading economic indicators decreased 0.2% in November, while the coincident index increased 0.2%.
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December 17th, 2012
- Advance estimates of retail and food services sales for November were up 0.3% from October, and were up 3.7% from November 2011.
- Sales of merchant wholesalers in October were down 1.2%, while inventories were up 0.6%.
- Total manufacturing and trade sales decreased 0.4% in October, while inventories increased 0.4%.
- Total Industrial production increased 1.1% in November, following a 0.7% decrease in the previous month.
- The federal government budget ran a deficit of $172.1 billion in November, after a deficit of $120.0 billion in the previous month.
- In October international trade deficit was $42.2 billion, $1.9 billion more than the revised September figure.
- The import price index decreased 0.9% in November, while the export price index decreased 0.7%. The overall import price index decreased 1.6% from November 2011 while export prices increased 0.7%.
- The producer price index for finished goods (headline index) decreased 0.8% in November, while the core index increased 0.1%. The producer price index for finished goods increased 1.5% from November 2011 to November 2012.
- The consumer price index (headline index) decreased 0.3% in November, while the core index increased 0.1%. The consumer price index increased 1.8% for the 12-month period ending in November, while the core index rose 1.9%.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased by 29 thousand to 343 thousand in the week ending December 8.
- Real average hourly earnings for all employees increased 0.5% from October to November.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed mortgage rates easing slightly and remaining near record lows. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.32% for the week ending December 13, down from last week when it averaged 3.34%.
- Mortgage applications increased 6.2% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending December 7, 2012.
- The Federal Open Market Committee decided to keep its target for the federal funds rate at 0 to 0.25%, and indicated that this exceptionally low range for the federal funds rate will be appropriate at least as long as the unemployment rate remains above 6.5%.
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