Brent Oil Brent oil prices increased by 0.64% or US$0.42, as prices increased this week relative to the prior week. Oil traded on March 7, 2019 at a price of US$66.45 per barrel relative to US$66.03 on February 28th, 2019. Brent oil began the year at US$54.91 per barrel. Petrojam prices 87 Octane prices decreased
United States: U.S. Trade Gap Surged to $621 Billion in 2018, 10-Year High The U.S. trade deficit widened in 2018 to a 10-year high of $621 billion, bucking President Donald Trump’s pledges to reduce it, as tax cuts boosted domestic demand for imports while the strong dollar and retaliatory tariffs weighed on exports. The annual
United States: Trump's Trade Step Shows U.S. Can Hit Turkey Where It Hurts President Donald Trump’s decision to strip some Turkish exporters of their preferential trade status is taken from a playbook that’s been effective in the past. American officials are pressing Ankara to abandon its longstanding agreement to buy a Russian air defense system.
Date: February 28, 2019 In the fourth quarter of 2018, Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent. For the third quarter realized a real GDP increased at a rate of 3.4 percent. The BEA highlighted that, “Due to the recent partial government shutdown, this initial report for the fourth quarter
United States: U.S. GDP Grows Above-Forecast 2.6% as Business Spending Picks Up The U.S. economy cooled by less than expected last quarter as business investment picked up, suggesting growth could be stronger for longer as the Federal Reserve takes a patient approach to interest rates. The 2.6 percent annualized rate of gains in gross domestic
Date: February 27, 2019 Real GDP in the 3rd quarter of 2018 increased for 49 states and the District of Columbia. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), “The percent change in real GDP in the third quarter ranged from 5.8 percent in Washington to 0.0 percent in West Virginia.” The BEA also
United States: America’s Job Market Has Some Upside as Disabled Workers Return Whether would-be workers linger on the U.S. labor market’s sidelines is a key question: it will determine how fast the country’s economy can grow, how fast wages might rise, and, potentially, how patient the Federal Reserve can afford to be with rate increases.
United States: U.S. Farmers Fear Trump’s Assault on WTO Hurts Them Donald Trump’s attack on the World Trade Organization has U.S. farmers worried that the president’s ‘America first’ foreign policy approach will hamstring efforts to defend their interests. The U.S. is strangling the ability of the WTO, which oversees the rules for nearly $23 trillion
Date: February 25, 2019 The euro area (EA19) and the EU 28 reported a decrease in the Seasonally adjusted production in the construction sector by 0.4% and by 0.9% respectively during December 2018 compared with November 2018. In addition, According to Eurostat, “In November 2018, production in construction grew by 0.3% in the euro area
Date: February 25, 2019 In January 2019, The euro area annual inflation rate was 1.4% , down from 1.5% in December. Compared to the previous year, the rate was 1.3%. Additionally, the European Union annual inflation was reported at 1.5% in January 2019, down from 1.6% in December. Compared to the previous year, the rate
