Marketwatch 666

Major reports released last week included the May Consumer Price Index and the May Producer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Commerce Dept’s report on our International Trade in Goods and Services for April , the Wholesale Trade, Sales and Inventories report for April from the Census Bureau, and the May report on existing home sales from the National Association of Realtors (NAR)… CPI Rose 0.5% in May on Higher Prices for Fuel and Shelter The consumer price index was 0.5% higher in May, as higher prices for fuel, rent, lodging away from home, electricity, clothing, airline fares, vehicle maintenance and repairs, internet and telephone service, postage and delivery services, hospital services, dentist’s services, appliances, tax preparation, and admissions to sporting events were only partly offset by lower prices for utility gas, new cars and trucks, car and truck rentals, vehicle insurance, tires, furniture, outdoor equipment, floor coverings, prescription and ...

Major economic reports released last week included the Employment Situation Summary for April and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for March, both from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Commerce Department’s report on our international trade in goods and services for March , and the March report on Construction Spending (pdf), the March report on new home sales , the Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders for March , and the Wholesale Trade, Sales and Inventories report for March , all from the Census Bureau….in addition, the Fed released the Consumer Credit Report for March on Thursday of this week, which indicated that overall consumer credit, a measure of non-real estate debt, had grown by a seasonally adjusted $24.8 billion in March, or at a 5.8% annual rate, as non-revolving credit expanded at a 2.7% annual rate to $3,682.2 billion, while revolving credit outstanding grew at a 9.1% rate to $1,337.0 billion…for the first quarter of 2...

Major economic reports released last week included the Producer Price Index for February from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the February report on Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization from the Fed, and the January report on new home sales , 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…. This week also saw the release of the first two regional Fed manufacturing surveys for March: the Empire State Manufacturing Survey from the New York Fed, which covers all of New York state, one NYC suburban county in Connecticut, Puerto Rico and northern New Jersey, reported their headline general business conditions index fell from +7.1 in February to –0.2 in March, with the near zero reading meaning that that region’s manufacturers were virtually evenly split between those who reported improving conditions and those who saw deteriorating conditions in March...