Initial Unemployment Claims

April 23, 2026 Initial unemployment claims rose by 6 thousand to 214 thousand in the week ending April 18 after having declined 10 thousand in the previous week. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits rose 12 thousand in the week ending April 11 to 1,821...

Pending Home Sales

April 21, 2026 Pending home sales rose 1. 5% in March to 73.7 after gaining 2.5% in February. The National Association of Realtors chief economist, Lawrence Yun said, “Contract signings rose in March despite higher mortgage rates, pointing to pent-up housing demand. ...

Retail Sales

April 21, 2026 Retail sales jumped 1.7% in March after climbing  0.7% in February.   In the past year retail sales have risen 4.1%.  Consumers continue to spend even as the war with Iran began in March. Motor vehicle sales climbed 0.5% in March after rising 1.0% in...

The End of the War

April 17, 2026 Every day there is a new headline about the course of the war in Iran. Today’s news was unambiguously positive. Iran and Israel announced a 10-day cease fire. Iran agreed to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. The stock market surged. Crude oil and gas prices...