Employment Cost Index

February 10, 2026 The employment cost index for civilian workers rose 0.7% in the fourth quarter which works out to a 3.0% annual rate after gainng 3.8% in the third quarter.    Over the course of the past year it has risen 3.4% but what is importanat is that it has...

Retail Sales

February 10, 2026 Retail sales was unchanged in December after having risen rose 0.6% in November   In the past year retail sales have risen 2.4% Motor vehicle sales declined 0.2% in December after having risen 1.2% in November.   The October weakness was caused by...

Small Business Optimism

February 10,2026 . Small business optimism declined 0.2 point in January to 99.3 after having risen 0.5 point in December.  The index level remains slightly above the 40-year average rate of 98.0 which is regarded as the breakeven point for this series. lNFIB Chief...

Market Fears Rise

February 6, 2026 Market participants had plenty to think about this past week.  President Trump named Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chair.  Who is this guy and to what extent will he be pushing hard for the significant drop in rates that Trump wants to see?  The weather...

Consumer Sentiment

 February 6, 2026 The preliminary estimate of consumer sentiment for Febuary rose 0.9 point to 57.3 after having climbed 3.5 points in December  Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu said, “Consumer sentiment was essentially unchanged, inching up less than...