Archive for June, 2014

Key Economic Indicators – June 30, 2014

Monday, June 30th, 2014
  • Real GDP decreased at an annual rate of 2.9% in the first quarter of 2014, after increasing 2.6% in the previous quarter. In the second estimate, released about a month ago, real GDP was estimated to have decreased 1.0%.
  • The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 1.3% in the first quarter, compared to an increase of 1.5% in the previous quarter.
  • Corporate profits from current production decreased $198.3 billion in the first quarter, compared with an increase of $47.1 billion in the first quarter.
  • Personal income increased 0.4% in May, while personal consumption expenditures increased 0.2%. Real disposable personal income increased 0.2% in May, while real personal consumption expenditures decreased 0.1%.
  • The price index for personal consumption expenditures increased 0.2% in May. The price index (headline index) was up 1.8% from May 2013, while the core index was up 1.5%
  • New orders for manufactured durable goods decreased 1.0% in May.
  • Existing home sale rose 4.9% in May to an annualized rate of 4.89 million. The median price rose 5.9% to $213.4 thousand.
  • May new home sales increased 18.6% to an annualized rate of 504 thousand units. The median sales price of new houses sold was $282.0 thousand, 4.6% above May 2013.
  • The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of June 26th showed average fixed mortgage rates moving lower.
  • Mortgage applications decreased 1.0% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending June 20th.
  • The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 2 thousand to 312 thousand in the week ending June 21.
  • The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index rose to 85.2 in June, from 82.2 in May.
  • The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment rose to 82.5 in June, from 81.2 in the previous month.

Key Economic Indicators – June 23, 2014

Monday, June 23rd, 2014
  • Total Industrial production increased 0.6% in May, following a 0.3% decline in April. Total industrial production in May was up 4.3% from May 2013.
  • The rate of capacity utilization for total industry was 79.1% in May, compared with 77.8% in May of 2013.
  • Housing starts decreased 6.5% in May, while building permits decreased 6.4%. The total number of starts was 1.001 million in May, up 9.4% from a year ago.
  • The housing market index of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo increased 4 points to 49 in June.
  • The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of June 19th showed average fixed mortgage rates moving slightly lower for the week.
  • Mortgage applications decreased 1.0% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending June 20th.
  • The current account deficit rose to $111.2 in the first quarter, from $87.3 billion in the previous quarter.
  • The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 6 thousand to 312 thousand in the week ending June 14.
  • The consumer price index (headline index) rose 0.4% in May, while the core index increased 0.3%. The consumer price index increased 2.1% for the 12-month period ending in May, while the core index rose 1.9%.
  • The June 2014 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicated that business activity was strong and steady in the New York manufacturing sector.
  • The Philadelphia FED business outlook survey for June indicated strength in manufacturing activity.

Key Economic Indicators – June 16, 2014

Monday, June 16th, 2014
  • Advance estimates of retail and food services sales increased 0.3% in May, following a 0.1% increase in the previous month. Excluding autos, retail and food services sales were up 0.1%.
  • Total manufacturing and trade sales for April were up 0.7%, while inventories were up 0.6%.
  • The federal government budget ran a deficit of $130.0 billion in May, after a deficit of $106.9 billion in the previous month.
  • The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance increased 4 thousand to 317 thousand in the week ending June 7.
  • The producer price index for final demand (headline index) decreased 0.2% in May, following an increase of 0.6% in April. The core index decreased 0.1%, following a 0.5% increase in the previous month. Both the headline and the core index increased 2.0% from May 2013.
  • The import price index rose 0.1% in May, following a 0.4% decrease in the previous month. The export price index increased 0.1%, following a 1.0% decrease in the previous month. The import price index increased 0.4% from May 2013, while export prices increased 0.5%.
  • The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of June 12th showed average fixed mortgage rates moving higher. The 30-year fixed rate averaged 4.20% for the week ending June 12, up from the previous week when it averaged 4.14%.
  • Mortgage applications increased 10.3% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending June 11th.
  • The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment, preliminary, edged down to 81.2 in early June.

Key Economic Indicators – June 9, 2014

Monday, June 9th, 2014
  • Total non-farm payroll employment increased 217 thousand in May, following an increase of 282 thousand in the previous month.   Private-sector payrolls increased by 216 thousand in the month, while government employment edged up a thousand.
  • The unemployment rate held steady at 6.3%.
  • The average workweek of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls held steady at 34.5 hours. Average hourly earnings increased by 0.2% in May.
  • The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance increased 8 thousand to 312 thousand in the week ending May 31.
  • Sales of domestic cars increased 3.9% to 13.3 million in May, while total vehicle sales increased 4.4% to 16.8 million.
  • New orders for manufactured goods increased 0.7% in April, following a 1.5% increase in the previous month.
  • In April, international trade deficit was $47.2 billion, $3.0 billion more than the revised March figure.
  • Construction spending in April was up 0.2% from the previous month, and was up 8.6% from April 2013.
  • The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of June 5th showed average fixed mortgage rates little changed from the previous week.
  • Mortgage applications decreased 3.1% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending May 30th.

Key Economic Indicators – June 2, 2014

Monday, June 2nd, 2014
  • Real GDP decreased at an annual rate of 1.0% in the first quarter, after increasing 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2013.
  • The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 1.3% in the first quarter, compared to an increase of 1.6% in the previous quarter.
  • Corporate profits decreased to $1,880 billion in the first quarter, from $1,905 billion in the previous quarter.
  • Personal income increased 0.3%, in April, while personal consumption expenditures decreased 0.1%.
  • The price index for personal consumption expenditures increased 0.2% in April, the same increase as in the previous month. The core index also increased 0.2%. The price index (headline index) was up 1.6% from April 2013, while the core index was up 1.4%
  • New orders for manufactured durable goods increased 0.8% in April, following a 3.6% increase in the previous month.
  • The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 27 thousand to 300 thousand in the week ending May 24.
  • The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of May 29th showed average fixed mortgage rates decreasing for the fifth consecutive week.
  • Mortgage applications decreased 1.2% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending May 23rd.
  • The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index increased slightly in May.
  • The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment slipped in May.