Consumer Confidence

April 30, 2024 . The Conference Board reported that consumer confidence fell 6.1 points in April to 97.0 after having  fallen 1.7 point in March to 110.7 after declining 6.1 points in February. Chief Economist at the Conference Board, Dana Peterson, said “Confidence...

Case Shiller Index of Home Prices

April 30, 2024 The seasonally adjusted Case Shiller Index of Home Prices in 20 cities rose 0.6% in February after declining 0.1% in January.  The rate of increase in home prices has slowed from double-digit gains in 2021 and 2022 to 6.4% currently.  But the most...

Employment Cost Index

April 30, 2024 The employment cost index for civilian workers climbed at a 4.7% annual rate after gaining 3.7% in the fourth quarter.    Over the course of the past year it has risen 4.2%. With the unemployment rate currently at 3.8% and full employment presumably...