Industrial Production

April 16, 2025 Industrial production for April was unchanged after having fallen 0.3 in March.  In the past year industrial production has risen 1.5%. Breaking industrial production down into its three basic categories — manufacturing, mining, and utilities. ...

Producer Price Index

May 15, 2025 The Producer Price Index for final demand  includes producer prices for goods, as well as prices for construction, services, government purchases, and exports and covers over 75% of domestic production. Producer prices for final demand declined 0.5% in...

Retail Sales

May 15, 2025             Retail sales rose 0.1% in April after having jumped 1.7% in March.   In the past year retail sales have risen 5.2%  Some of the dramatic increase in sales in March and continuing into April could be a rebound from...

Small Business Optimism

May 13, 2025 . Small business optimism fell 1.6 points in April to 95.8 after having declined 3.3 points in March to 97.4 after falling 2.1 points in February to 100.7 after having declined 2.3 points in January.  The media focus seems to be on the fact that the index...

Consumer Price Index

May 13, 2025 The CPI rose 0.2% in April after having declined 0.1% in March.. The year-over-year increase is 2.3%.  We now expect the overall CPI to increase 3.1% in 2025. Food prices declined 0.1% in April after having climbed 0.4% in March.  In the past year food...

We Are In this Together

May 9, 2025 The tariffs imposed by the U.S. and the countermeasures employed by its trading partners are a hot topic of discussion amongst economists, business leaders, consumers, and investors in the U.S.  While estimates of the magnitude, breadth, and duration of...