Personal Income and Consumption Expenditures — Monthly

November 27, 2024 Personal consumption expenditures rose 0.4% in October after climbing 0.6% in September.  In the past year nominal spending has risen 5.4%. What we are really interested in is “real” or inflation-adjusted spending.  That is what goes into...

Durable Goods Orders

November 27, 2024 Durable goods orders rose 0.2% in October after having fallen 0.4% in September.    Durable goods orders have risen 2.7% in the past year. Much of the change in durables is frequently in the transportation sector — airplanes, cars, and trucks. ...

Initial Unemployment Claims

November 27,  2024 Initial unemployment claims fell 2 thousand in the week ending November 23 to 213 thousand after declining 4 thousand in the previous week.   This series has risen slightly in the past six months.  The 4-week average of claims was 210 thousand at...

New Home Sales

November 26, 2024 New home sales plunged by 17.3% in October to 610 thousand after having risen 7.0% in September.  However, the  drop was almost exclusively in the South and clearly the result of the combo of Hurricanes Milton and Helene.  Sales will rebound over the...