Initial Unemployment Claims

March 28, 2024 Initial unemployment claims fell 2 thousand in the week ending March 23 to 210,000 after being unchanged in the previous week.  Thus far, in the face of rising interest rates and the fear of a recession, employers are reluctant to lay off workers.  They...

Case Shiller Index of Home Prices

March 26, 2024 The seasonally adjusted Case Shiller Index of Home Prices in 20 cities rose 0.1% in January after rising 0.3% in December.  The rate of increase in home prices has slowed from double-digit gains in 2021 and 2022 to 6.6% currently.  But the most recent...

Durable Goods Orders

March 26, 2034 Durable goods orders rose 1.4% in January after having plunged 6.8% in December. The sizeable change in orders in December was attributable to a dramatic drop in civilian aircraft orders.  This category is very volatile on a month-to-month basis.  In...

New Home Sales

March 25, 2024 New home sales fell 0.3% in February to 662 thousand after rising 1.7% in January,   New home sales reached a low point in the middle of last year, but have risen somewhat since then.. Existing home sales are being constrained by a lack of inventory...