Marketwatch 666

Major monthly reports released last week included the Retail Sales report for February and the conjoined Business Sales and Inventories for January from the Census Bureau, the February report on Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization from the Fed, the February report on New Residential Construction , from the Census bureau, and the Existing Home Sales Report for February from the National Association of Realtors (NAR)…. in addition, the week also saw the release of the Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report for January from the BLS, a report which breaks down the two employment surveys from the monthly national jobs report by state and region, released later than usual due to the annual revisions….while the text of that report provides a useful summary of this data, the serious statistical aggregation can be found in the tables linked at the end of the report , where one can find the civilian labor force data and the change in payrolls by industry for each...

Major monthly reports released over the past week included the February Consumer Price Index , the February Producer Price Index and the February Import-Export Price Index , as well as the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report for January, all from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)… Consumer Prices Rose 0.2% in February on Higher Prices for Rent, Utilities, and Used Vehicles The consumer price index was 0.2% higher in February, as higher prices for rent, utilities, clothing, used vehicles, appliances, household operations and insurance, physicians' services, nursing homes, internet and phone service, eating out, and recreational services were partly offset by lower prices for gasoline, airline fares, sporting goods including bicycles, TVs, and smartphones….the Consumer Price Index Summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that the weighted average of seasonally adjusted prices for consumer goods and services was 0.2% higher in February, after b...

The past week’s major releases included the Employment Situation Summary for February from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and four reports that provide source data for 1st quarter GDP: the Commerce Dept’s report on our International Trade for January , the January report on Construction Spending , the Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders for January , and the January report on Wholesale Trade, Sales and Inventories , all from the Census Bureau….in addition, the Fed released the Consumer Credit Report for January , which showed that overall consumer credit, a measure of non-real estate debt, grew by a seasonally adjusted $19.5 billion, or at a 4.3% annual rate, as non-revolving credit expanded at a 3.0% annual rate to $3,681.1 billion, while revolving credit outstanding grew at an 8.2% rate to $1,325.9 billion… The week’s privately issued reports included the ADP Employment Report for February , the light vehicle sales report for February from Wards Automo...

The key economic reports released during the past week were the 2nd estimate of 4th quarter GDP and the January report on Personal Income and Spending , both from the Bureau of Economic Analysis; other widely watched releases included the Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers’ Shipments Inventories and Orders for January , and the January report on new home sales , both from the Census Bureau, and the Case-Shiller Home Price Index for December from S&P Case-Shiller, which reported that​ that their national​ home price index ​f​or homes that sold October, November and December averaged 3.9% higher than ​their price​ index for the same homes that sold during the same 3 month period a year earlier, which was up from the 3.8% year over year increase that they reported a month ago for the months of September, October and November… This week also saw the release of the Chicago Fed’s National Activity Index (CFNAI) for January , a weighted composite index of 85 different econo...