Housing Starts

June 18, 2025 Housing starts plunged by 9.8% in May to 1,256 thousand after rising 2.7% in April.  While starts have been exceptionally volatile in recent months, they do appear to be softening.  This reflects uncertainty regarding tariffs and their  potential impact...

Initial Unemployment Claims

June 18, 2025 Initial unemployment claims fell 5 thousand in the week ending June 14 to 245 thousand after having risen 2 thousand in the previous week.    The labor market has hardly been affected by layoffs thus far.  However, we know that some government workers...

Homebuilder Confidence

June 17, 2025 Homebuilder confidence dropped 2 points in June to 32 after having fallen 6 points in May.  This series has been falling steadily since January.  Builders are worried about the imposition of tariffs, still high mortgage rates, and the cost of materials. ...

Industrial Production

June 17, 2025 Industrial production for May declined 0.2%  after  having risen 0.1% in April.  In the past year industrial production has risen 0.6%. Breaking industrial production down into its three basic categories — manufacturing, mining, and utilities ...

Retail Sales

June 17, 2025 Retail sales declined 0.9% in May after  having fallen 0.1% in April.   In the past year retail sales have risen 3.5%  Some of the dramatic increase in sales in March and continuing into April could be a rebound from the particularly cold/snowy weather...