Consumer Confidence

December 23, 2024 . The Conference Board reported that consumer confidence fell 8.1 points in December to 104.7 after having risen by rose 3.2 points in November.. Chief Economist at the Conference Board, Dana Peterson, said  “The recent rebound in consumer confidence...

Durable Goods Orders

December 23, 2024 Durable goods orders fell 1.1% in November after having risen 0.8% in October.    Durable goods orders have declined 5.2% in the past year. Much of the change in durables is frequently in the transportation sector — airplanes, cars, and...

Fed Confusion

December 20, 2022 Recent Fed  policy has been confusing to say the least.   In September the focus was on the unemployment rate and the Fed eased aggressively.  Two months later the focus shifted back to inflation and the Fed seemed nervous.  The Fed basically told us...

Personal Income and Consumption Expenditures — Monthly

December 20, 2024 Personal consumption expenditures rose 0.4% in November after rising 0.3% in October and 0.7% in September.  In the past year nominal spending has risen 5.5%. What we are really interested in is “real” or inflation-adjusted spending. ...