Robert Hughes

The manufacturing sector’s Purchasing Managers’ Index registered a 56.3 reading in July, down from 57.8 in June. The PMI and most of the components remain at solidly favorable levels despite […]

The initial estimate for second-quarter real gross domestic product shows the economy expanded at a 2.6 percent annualized rate, up from a revised 1.2 percent pace in the first quarter. […]

New orders for nondefense aircraft and parts surged 131.2 percent in June to $25.3 billion, the third-highest on record. The backlog of unfilled orders rose $13.3 billion to $585.6 billion, […]

Consumer confidence as gauged by The Conference Board’s consumer-confidence survey improved in July, rising to 121.1 from 117.3 in June. The result differs from the slightly lower consumer-sentiment data from […]

The latest data on new filings for unemployment insurance suggest the labor market remains tight. Data from the Employment and Training Administration within the Department of Labor show initial claims […]

New-housing-unit starts rose 8.3 percent in June to 1.22 million, led by a 15.4 percent jump in structures with five or more units. Single-family starts rose by a more modest […]

Several economic reports released today provide additional evidence that the economy appears to be heading into a soft patch. First-quarter real GDP posted a meek 1.4 percent gain, held back […]

The National Federation of Independent Business reported a drop of 0.9 points in its Small Business Optimism Index, a composite of 10 indicators created from its monthly survey of small-business […]

The U.S. economy added 222,000 jobs in June, the largest gain since February. Combined with upward revisions to the prior two months, the three-month average gain is 194,000, also the […]

The latest Manufacturing Report on Business and Non-Manufacturing Report on Business from the Institute for Supply Management suggest economic activity generally improved in June. The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index, a […]