July Employment Trends Index up 5.4 percent year-on-year

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in July, after increasing in June. The index now stands at 109.89, up from 108.72 in June. The change represents a 5.4 percent gain in the ETI compared to a year ago.

READ MORE

June Employment Trends Index rebounded from May, up 5.2 percent year-on-year

As expected, after decreasing in May, the Employment Trends Index continued its solid path upwards in June, with positive contributions from all of its components and rising by 5.2 percent year-over-year to 108.94. The labor market will continue to tighten in the coming months, with strong employment growth outpacing the number of people entering the labor force.

READ MORE

Consumer confidence increases in August to 16-year high

Consumer confidence increased in August following a moderate improvement in July. Consumers’ more buoyant assessment of present-day conditions was the primary driver of the boost in confidence, with the Present Situation Index continuing to hover at a 16-year high (July 2001, 151.3). Consumers’ short-term expectations were relatively flat, though still optimistic, suggesting that they do not anticipate an acceleration in the pace of economic activity in the months ahead.

READ MORE

July Leading Economic Indicators rose another 0.3 percent

The U.S. LEI improved in July, suggesting the U.S. economy may experience further improvements in economic activity in the second half of the year. The decline in building permits, a reversal from June, was more than offset by gains in the financial indicators, new orders and sentiment.

READ MORE

Consumer confidence bounces back in July

Consumer confidence increased in July following a marginal decline in June. Consumers’ assessment of current conditions remained at a 16-year high and their expectations for the short-term outlook improved somewhat after cooling last month.

READ MORE

Online advertised job vacancies dropped in June after May increase

Online advertised vacancies decreased 45,800 to 4,763,400 in June, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine® (HWOL) Data Series. The May Supply/Demand rate stands at 1.43 unemployed for each advertised vacancy, with a total of 2.1 million more unemployed workers than the number of advertised vacancies. The number of unemployed was approximately 6.9 million in May.

READ MORE

Consumer confidence rebounds moderately in June

Consumer confidence increased moderately in June following a small decline in May. Consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved to a nearly 16-year high (July 2001, 151.3). Expectations for the short-term have eased somewhat, but are still upbeat. Overall, consumers anticipate the economy will continue expanding in the months ahead, but they do not foresee the pace of growth accelerating.

READ MORE

May Employment Trends Index up 6.4 percent year-on-year

While employment numbers have shown some softness in the past three months, there is no slowdown visible in the Employment Trends Index, suggesting solid job growth over the summer. Employment will likely grow fast enough to continue tightening the labor market.

READ MORE

Consumer Confidence Index dipped again in May

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had decreased in April, declined slightly in May. The Index now stands at 117.9 (1985=100), down from 119.4 in April. The Present Situation Index increased marginally from 140.3 to 140.7, while the Expectations Index declined from 105.4 last month to 102.6 in May.

“Consumer confidence decreased slightly in May, following a moderate decline in April,” said Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “However, consumers’ assessment of present-day conditions held steady, suggesting little change in overall economic conditions. Looking ahead, consumers were somewhat less upbeat than in April, but overall remain optimistic that the economy will continue expanding into the summer months.”

Leading Economic Index rose again in April

The Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.3 percent in April to 126.9 (2010 = 100), following a 0.3 percent increase in March, and a 0.5 percent increase in February.

While the majority of leading indicators have been contributing positively in recent months, housing permits followed by average workweek in manufacturing have been the sources of weakness among the U.S. LEI components.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 7/1/16

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 7/1/16 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Pending home sales dipped in May year-on-year for the first time in almost two years
• Conference Board:  Consumer confidence rebounds in June after May decline
• Personal income, consumer spending and prices all rose in May while savings rate dipped slightly
• Chicago PMI rose in June to highest level since January 2016
• Mortgage applications dip 2.6 percent even as rates edge down to lowest level since May 2013
• Initial unemployment claims rise 10,000 in latest report

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact the editor at nslevin@penpubinc.com.

Conference Board: Consumer confidence declined slightly in May

Consumer confidence declined slightly in May, primarily due to consumers rating current conditions less favorably than in April, and expect little change in economic activity in the months ahead.

READ MORE

Consumer confidence posted slight decline in April

Consumer confidence from The Conference Board continued on its sideways path, posting a slight decline in April, following a modest gain in March. However, their expectations regarding the short-term have moderated, suggesting they do not foresee any pickup in momentum.

READ MORE

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 10/30/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 10/30/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Case-Shiller Home Price Indices leap by 12.8 percent year-over-year in August
• Pending home sales fall four fourth straight month in September
• Consumer confidence decreased sharply in October due to government shutdown
• Most retail sales outside of auto dealers rose in September
• Industrial production continued to rise by 0.6 percent in September
• Producer Price Index dipped slightly in September but mostly flat over last 12 months

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.