Robert Hughes
Aircraft Orders Plunge, But Core Capital Goods Post a Solid Gain
Orders for nondefense aircraft plunged 70.7 percent in July after surging 129.3 percent in June. Aircraft orders tend to be extremely volatile. Despite efforts to adjust for seasonal patterns, the […]
A Slow Month for New-Home Sales
New-home sales fell 9.4 percent in July to a 571,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate from 630,000 in June. The four major regions of the country had widely differing performances in […]
Consumer Sentiment Rose in Early August While Economic Activity Remained Near Trend in July
The Index of Consumer Sentiment from the University of Michigan rose in early August, driven by a jump in expectations about the future of the economy. The overall index came […]
Fed Surveys and Initial Claims Show Positive Results; Industrial Production Remains Weak
Surveys from the New York and Philadelphia Federal Reserve Banks point to robust economic activity and upbeat expectations about the future in their regional economies. The Empire State Manufacturing Survey’s […]
Core CPI up a Modest 1.7 Percent for the Third Month in a Row
The Consumer Price Index rose 0.1 percent in July and is up 1.7 percent from a year ago. The volatile food and energy components had contrasting results, with food prices […]
Producer Prices Fall in July, Initial Claims Remain Very Low
Producer prices were mostly lower in July. The producer price index for final demand fell 0.1 percent as the goods index fell 0.1 percent and services fell 0.2 percent. Within […]
Productivity and Unit Labor Costs Rise in the Second Quarter
Productivity, or output per hour, for the nonfarm business sector increased 0.9 percent at an annual rate in the second quarter, up from a 0.1 percent pace in the first […]
Job Openings Hit a New Record in June, Small-Business Optimism Rebounded in July
A record 6.16 million positions were open at the end of June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 5.70 million at the end of May. Private-sector employers […]
A Strong July Jobs Report, With a Few Exceptions
Payrolls in the United States rose by 209,000 in July, the second monthly gain above 200,000 in a row. Most, but not all, of the information in the July report […]
Non-Manufacturing Growth Decelerates Slightly in July; Initial Claims Remain Low
Following Tuesday’s report from the Institute for Supply Management suggesting that the manufacturing sector expanded at a slightly slower pace in July, yesterday’s report from the ISM suggests a similar […]