Robert Hughes

Capital Spending Prospects Remain Favorable

  New orders for durable goods jumped 1.8 percent in January following revised monthly declines of 0.8 percent and 4.7 percent in the prior two months. The gain is January […]

Home Prices Heading Higher

  Sales of existing homes rose 3.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.69 million sales in January. There were gains in three of the four regions in […]

Economy Gaining Speed, Rate Hikes Coming

The U.S. consumer continues to drive the economy. The latest data from the U.S. Commerce Department show retail sales rose 0.4 in January percent following a 1 percent jump in […]

ISM Survey Data Suggest Better Economic Conditions

The Institute for Supply Management surveys its members monthly regarding business activity at their respective companies. These surveys are very timely readings on levels of current activity across a broad […]

Jobs Day Surprise…And Disappointment

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a January employment report this morning that has both surprises and disappointments. On the positive side, job creation was stronger than expected, showing a […]

Good News for the Manufacturing Sector

  During an 18-month campaign, primary, and election process, newly-elected President Donald Trump focused heavily on the manufacturing sector in the U.S. Today, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and […]

Labor Market Indicators Remain Upbeat

Newly updated indicators for the labor market suggest a positive outlook for the economy. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for November shows the number of open positions in the private sector rose by 21,000 to 4.97 million. Adding in a 48,000 increase in the number of open government jobs, and the total number of open positions in the economy stands at 5.52 million, the 11th month above 5.5 million in the past 20 months.

Rising Rates Could Slow Housing

Data released last Friday show new housing starts fell 18.7 percent in November from October as single-family home starts fell 4.1 percent and multifamily home starts fell almost 44 percent.

Keep the Fed’s Decision in Perspective

The Fed’s decision yesterday to raise the federal funds target rate by ¼ point, from a range of 0.25 – 0.50 to 0.50 – 0.75 sent shockwaves through markets. But it should be interpreted with a healthy dose of calm and perspective.

More Positive News For The Economy

The Federal Reserve yesterday afternoon released data on household balance sheets and income for the third quarter of 2016, and the results look favorable.  Household net worth rose to a record $90.2 trillion on gains in assets, amid modest increases in liabilities.