NFIB Small Business Optimism Index For January At 94.1
NFIB Small Business Optimism Index for January was reported at 94.1 vs. consensus of 94.0 and prior reading of 92.6.
Highest post-recession reading.
Archive for the ‘U.S. Economic Data’ Category
ECRI Weekly Leading Index Update
I haven’t looked this for a while… Breached -10.0% level this time was a false signal (recession didn’t occur).
ECRI Weekly Leading Index for week ending January 28 was reported up 3.7% y-o-y. Prior reading was at 3.5%.
January Nonfarm Payrolls Rose 36.000; Unemployment Rate At 9.0%
Nonfarm payrolls rose 36.000 in January. The consensus was at 146.000, December reading was an increase of 121.000 (revised +18.000). The unemployment was reported at 9.0% vs. prior reading of 9.4% and consensus of 9.5%.
Private payrolls were up 50.000 vs. 145.000 consensus and 139.000 reading in December (revised +26.000).
Again: Huge miss in both nonfarm payrolls and private payrolls. Unemployment rate fell on reduced participation in labor force (lowest since ’80s). All in all: weak report, especially having in mind rosy sunglasses sentiment.
U.S. Initial Jobless Claims At 415.000; Down 42.000
Initial jobless claims in the U.S. were reported at 415.000 vs. 429.000 consensus; last week revised (down 3.000) reading was at 457.000.
Lot of noise in data; 4 week moving average rose in last two weeks.
ADP Employment Rose 187,000 In January
ADP Employment rose 187,000 in January vs. revised (down 50,000) gain of 245,000 in December.
Nonfarm payrolls on Friday (rule of thumb) could be close to 143.000 consensus.
Challenger Job-Cuts For January At 38,519
Challenger’s count of layoff announcements was reported at 38,519 in January vs. 32,004 in December.
Slight tick up.
MBA Mortgage Applications Up 11.3%
MBA mortgage applications rose 11.3%; Prior reading was a decrease of 12.9%; On year level MBA Basic Index is down 20.8%.
January U.S. Motor Vehicle Sales Unchanged At 12.53 Million SAAR
U.S. total motor vehicle sales for January remained unchanged at 12.53 million SAAR. On year level motor vehicle sales are up 16.3%.
Like with other consumer related parts of the economy auto purchases are steadily gaining ground.
U.S. Construction Spending Fell 2.5% In December
U.S. construction spending fell 2.5% in December vs. 0.1% consensus and 0.2% fall(revised from 0.4% gain) in November. On year level we are at -6.4%.
Lowest reading since July 2000.
January ISM Manufacturing Index At 60.8
ISM Manufacturing Index was reported at 60.8 vs. prior reading of 58.5 (revised from 57.0) and consensus of 58.0.
Improved ISM Manufacturing Index suggest January industrial production growth rate in the U.S. could increase.
Chicago Purchasing Managers Index For January At 68.8
Chicago Purchasing Managers Index was reported at 68.8. Consensus was at 65.0, prior reading at 68.6.
To repeat: Industrial production will continue to slowly expand in January.
U.S. Personal Income Rose 0.4%; U.S. Consumer Spending Rose 0.7%
U.S. personal income rose 0.4% in December vs. 0.4% consensus and 0.3% rise in November. On y-o-y level personal income is up 3.8%.
January University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Final Reading At 74.2
January University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment final reading was reported at 74.2 vs. 73.0 consensus, 72.7 prior reading and 74.5 December reading.
U.S. GDP Rose 3.2% in Q4 2010
U.S. GDP growth for Q4 was reported at 3.2% vs. 3.5% consensus. Q3 reading was at +2.6%.
Pending Home Sales Index Rose 2.0% In December
Pending home sales index rose 2.0% In December vs. revised (down from 3.5%) rise of 3.1% in November. On year level, the index is down 4.2%.
To repeat: Generally rising pending home sales are positive for the economy, but currently and until excess unsold housing inventory is cleared rising pending home sales index mean more foreclosed homes are being sold at depressed prices which is a sign of additional pressure on home prices.