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July 25, 2008 7:58:22 AM CDT

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Stories related to: economic indicators

Stories

15 Stories

  • July 2008

    • Consumer Prices Surge Most Since '91

      newser  |  Bloomberg  |  Jul 16, 08 9:35 AM CDT

      Consumer Prices Surge Most Since '91

      Consumer prices rose a staggering 1.1% in June, Bloomberg reports. The figure far surpassed analyst estimates, and brings the year-over-year figure to 5%–the biggest surge since 1991. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose a more-than-expected 0.3%. “Inflation has galloped,” one economist said. “It puts the Fed in a really tricky position. I don't see how they can change rates this year.” More »

      Tags

      Federal Reserve  • Ben Bernanke  • inflation  • consumer prices  • economic indicators  • core inflation  • federal funds rate

    • First Half of '08 Worst Ever for Hedge Funds

      newser  |  Bloomberg  |  Jul 9, 08 12:52 PM CDT

      First Half of '08 Worst Ever for Hedge Funds

      Hedge funds have fallen an average of 0.75% in the first half of 2008, the worst yearly start for the industry since Hedge Fund Research began collecting data in 1990. Even 2002, the only year on record in which the $1.9 trillion industry lost money, was sunnier. "Investors are showing less patience than before to live through the bad times," one analyst tells Bloomberg. More »

      Tags

      economic indicators  • financial sector  • hedge funds

  • June 2008

    • Stimulus' Boost Seen; How Long It Lasts Unsure

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Jun 27, 08 2:22 PM CDT

      Stimulus' Boost Seen; How Long It Lasts Unsure

      The government's stimulus package has worked—for now at least, the New York Times reports. Spending rose 0.4% last month, the Commerce Department said today, buoyed by the $50 billion in checks sent to consumers. But subtract the stimulus, and income levels rose only modestly, and wage growth lagged well behind inflation. More »

      Tags

      inflation  • consumer spending  • economic stimulus  • wages  • economic indicators  • stimulus package  • income  • stimulus response  • stimulus plan

    • Jobless Rate Posts Biggest Jump in 22 Years

      newser  |  Bloomberg  |  Jun 6, 08 8:43 AM CDT

      Jobless Rate Posts Biggest Jump in 22 Years

      Unemployment saw its biggest leap in two decades in May, spiking from 5.0% to 5.5%, as companies scale back their workforces in the face of recession, Bloomberg reports. Analysts had expected a more modest climb, to 5.1%; unemployment hasn’t been this high since October 2004. Payrolls also fell by 49,000. More »

      Tags

      Ben Bernanke  • economy  • unemployment  • economic indicators  • jobless claims  • payrolls

  • May 2008

    • Retail Sales Rise, but Consumers Spend Cautiously

      newser  |  Associated Press  |  May 8, 08 9:04 AM CDT

      Retail Sales Rise, but Consumers Spend Cautiously

      Consumers gave some of the nation's retailers a little relief in April, following months of dismal sales, but business was helped along by heavy discounting that could hurt fiscal first-quarter earnings, AP reports. Early sales reports issued yesterday showed that shoppers—who are contending with rising gas prices, sagging home and worries about their jobs—bought the basics at discounters and wholesale clubs. More »

      Tags

      retail  • consumer spending  • economic indicators  • same-store sales

    • Mood Lightens on Wall St. as Rally Takes Hold

      newser  |  New York Times  |  May 2, 08 9:51 AM CDT

      Mood Lightens on Wall St. as Rally Takes Hold

      Despite economic gloom spreading along Main Street, things on Wall Street are perking up, the New York Times reports—enough that analysts see a glimmer of hope for a turnaround beginning this year. The stock market rebounded almost 11% in recent weeks, junk bonds and other risky securities are rallying. More »

      Tags

      stock market  • Wall Street  • economy  • economic indicators

  • April 2008

    • Home Prices Take Record Dive

      newser  |  Bloomberg  |  Apr 29, 08 11:24 AM CDT

      Home Prices Take Record Dive

      A key measure of home prices fell fell 12.7% in February, the biggest decline in its 7 years of existence, and consumer confidence measured this month hit a 5-year low, Bloomberg reports. The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index reflects the crush of foreclosures and resultant tightening of lending standards. “There is no sign of a bottom in the numbers,” said an S&P spokesman. More »

      Tags

      housing market  • home prices  • economic indicators  • Case Shiller price index

    • Consumer Confidence Hits 26-year Low

      newser  |  Reuters  |  Apr 25, 08 10:59 AM CDT

      Consumer Confidence Hits 26-year Low

      Consumer confidence fell to a 26-year low in April, as the public fretted over inflation and housing, Reuters reports. The index fell to 62.6, surpassing the 63.2 analysts had predicted. Nearly 90% said the economy is in recession. Respondents also said they were unlikely to spend their stimulus or tax-rebate checks, planning instead to save them or pay down debt. More »

      Tags

      recession  • subprime crisis  • inflation  • economy  • consumer confidence  • economic indicators

    • March Foreclosures Up 57% Over Last Year; Worst Coming

      newser  |  Reuters  |  Apr 15, 08 6:55 AM CDT

      March Foreclosures Up 57% Over Last Year; Worst Coming

      Bank repossessions skyrocketed 129% over the 12-month period ending in March, and foreclosure filings rose 57% over the previous year, RealtyTrac announced today. March foreclosure notices rose 5%, after a 4% decline in February. All this “is ongoing fallout from people overextending themselves and using highly toxic loan products,” said a RealtyTrac VP. And it hasn't peaked yet. More »

      Tags

      housing crisis  • subprime crisis  • economy  • foreclosure  • real estate  • auction  • economic indicators

    • Consumer Confidence Hits 26-Year Low

      newser  |  Bloomberg  |  Apr 11, 08 11:10 AM CDT

      Consumer Confidence Hits 26-Year Low

      Consumer confidence hasn’t been this low since 1982, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan index, which reported a slide to 63.2 from March’s 69.5. That was lower than even the lowest estimates in a Bloomberg analyst poll. “The consumer’s feeling increasingly hemmed in,” said one economist. “The economy is in a recession.” More »

      Tags

      recession  • economy  • consumer confidence  • job cuts  • economic indicators  • consumer confidence index

  • March 2008
  • February 2008

    • Service Sector Records Shocking Contraction

      newser  |  Bloomberg  |  Feb 5, 08 11:35 AM CST

      Service Sector Records Shocking Contraction

      US service industries took a staggering and unexpected plunge in January, contracting at a pace not seen since the last recession. In today’s non-manufacturing report, which leaked nearly an hour early, the index plummeted from 54.4 to 41.9, far more than the 53 analysts forecast. Stocks fell broadly as a result. More »

      Tags

      recession  • economic indicators  • European Central Bank  • service industry

  • December 2007
  • May 2007

    • A Steak-House View of the Economy

      newser  |  Slate  |  May 30, 07 4:01 PM CDT

      A Steak-House View of the Economy

      High-end steak houses like Ruth's Chris and Peter Luger are a great place to study trends affecting the US economy, argues Slate 's Daniel Gross. The price of sirloin, for instance, reflects the recent spike in energy prices, as demand for ethanol has raised the price of corn, which is what Gross calls a major "input" into that side of beef. More »

      Tags

      US economy  • business  • energy  • ethanol  • economics  • economic indicators  • beef  • energy prices  • steak

    • Monthly Housing Sales Jump

      newser  |  International Business Times  |  May 24, 07 2:15 PM CDT

      Monthly Housing Sales Jump

      The real estate market had a volatile April, with home sales rising at their fastest rate in 14 years. But the 16% spike in sales over the previous month hid a more complicated reality: New home prices dropped by a record 11%, according to Commerce Department figures released today, and builder confidence remains low. More »

      Tags

      US economy  • housing market  • real estate  • housing  • economic indicators  • durable goods

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