Economic Highlights
Date: October 12, 2018 United States: Stocks Gain With Earnings in Focus; Dollar Steady: Markets Wrap Stocks staged a broad recovery on Friday as earnings reports from some of America’s biggest banks gave investors something to cheer about at the end of a tumultuous week. The dollar and Treasuries were steady. U.S. equity-index futures jumped
Date: October 11, 2018 United States: U.S. Core Inflation Trails Estimates as Used-Car Prices Tumble A gauge of underlying U.S. inflation was below estimates in September as used-vehicle costs fell and housing rents cooled, signaling that price gains may remain close to where Federal Reserve policy makers want them amid an outlook for continued gradual
Date: October 09, 2018 The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis indicated that, “State personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased on average 4.3 percent in 2017, an acceleration from the 3.8 percent increase in 2016.” In addition, the PCE percentage change across all states ranged from 6.9 percent in Idaho to 2 percent in North Dakota. Expenditure
Date: October 9, 2018 Survey of Business & Consumer Confidence Index The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce announced the results today, October 9, 2018, the 3rd Quarter Business and Consumer Confidence Indices at the JCC Secretariat. The presentation was hosted by Mr. Don Anderson – Managing Director, Market Research Services Ltd. Business Confidence Index The Business
Date: October 9, 2018 United States: Stocks Retreat as Treasury Yield Hits 7-Year High: Markets Wrap All eyes were on benchmark Treasuries on Tuesday as trading reopened in the wake of last week’s selloff and following a holiday on Monday. The 10-year yield crept up to a fresh seven-year high, while U.S. equity futures slid
October 08, 2018 Goods and Services Trade Deficit The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis indicated that, “The goods and services deficit was $53.2 billion in August, up $3.2 billion from $50 billion in July.” August exports ($209.4 billion), was less than exports in July by $1.7 billion, whereas $262.7 billion was recorded for imports in
Date: October 8, 2018 Jamaica’s Net International Reserves (NIR) totaled US$3,026.72 million as at September 2018, reflecting a decrease of US$31.70 million relative to the US$3,058.42 million reported as at the end of August 2018 (see figure 1). Changes in the NIR resulted from a decrease in Foreign Assets of US$39.45 million to total US$3,568.84 million
Date: October 8, 2018 United States: Bullard Says U.S. Growth Depends on Productivity Picking Up The better-than-expected growth rates in the U.S. economy are set to dissipate unless productivity picks up, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said. “The U.S. will likely need faster productivity growth in order to maintain current real
October 05, 2018 The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that, “Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 134,000 in July, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.7%. Job growth occurred in professional and business services, in health care and in transportation and warehousing.” Household Survey Data According to available seasonally adjusted data, in September, there was
Date: October 5, 2018 United States: Will U.S. Economic Growth Dip, or Will the Rest of the World Catch Up? An important issue facing the global economy and markets in the final quarter of the year is divergence—the widening economic and policy differences among advanced economies as U.S. growth outpaces that of Europe and Japan.
