economic indicators

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Fed's Employment Forecast Should Scare Obama

It won't fall fast enough for him to look good in 2012

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve issued a dour new economic outlook yesterday, predicting that the unemployment rate, currently at 9.6%, will fall to only 9% by 2011 and 8% by late 2012. That's bad news for everyone, but especially for President Obama; Daily Intel notes that incumbents lost in four of...

Unemployment Stuck at 9.6%
 Unemployment Stuck at 9.6% 
Nov 5, 2010 8:15 AM CDT

Unemployment Stuck at 9.6%

But it's the best jobs month since May, with a net gain of 151K jobs

(Newser) - US employers added the most jobs in five months in October, with the education and health care sectors leading the way. But the unemployment rate, measured by a separate survey of households, refused to budge. It remained stuck at 9.6% for the third straight month.

Fed: We Could Help Economy...
 Fed: We Could 
 Help Economy... 
Sep 22, 2010 11:05 AM CDT

Fed: We Could Help Economy...

...But we won't just yet

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve yesterday reassured the public that it was “prepared to provide additional accommodation if needed” to support the recovery, but that it didn’t think it was needed just yet. But merely suggesting the possibility was enough to send markets in the right direction, with interest on...

Recession Ended Last June, Analysts Say

Tell that to the unemployed, who are likely to stay that way for years

(Newser) - Break out the champagne: The recession is over! In fact, it’s been over since June 2009, according to a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research, an unofficial group that marks the start and end of such economic events. Things may not be great, the committee concluded,...

New Home Sales Take Huge Leap
 New Home Sales 
 Take Huge Leap 

Apr 23, 2010 10:08 AM CDT

New Home Sales Take Huge Leap

Crucial metric scores biggest jump in 47 years

(Newser) - Sales of new homes surged 27% last month, bouncing off the previous month's record low and blowing past expectations as better weather and government incentives boosted sales. In all, new home sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 411,000 in March, the biggest monthly jump in 47...

Boom in Skin Care Sales Signals Economic Rebound
Boom in Skin Care Sales Signals Economic Rebound
green shoots
Mar 23, 2010 1:38 PM CDT

Boom in Skin Care Sales Signals Economic Rebound

This from today's 'bizarre correlations' department

(Newser) - Turns out skin care is an economic bellwether—so you should be happy to hear that sales are picking up. Women were slow to skimp on, say, moisturizer even as sales of makeup and perfume declined, but in 2009 skin care sales finally fell by 4%, according to new research....

Dr. Doom Fears a Double Dip Recession
Dr. Doom Fears a Double Dip Recession
Nouriel Roubini
Mar 11, 2010 11:36 AM CST

Dr. Doom Fears a Double Dip Recession

Roubini thinks macro data contradict cheery recovery theories

(Newser) - There’s a debate raging over whether the US will recover quickly or undergo a painful double-dip recession . Guess which side eternal pessimist Nouriel Roubini is on? Dr. Doom doesn’t like the macroeconomic numbers he’s seeing. The horrendous consumer confidence, housing and employment numbers “actually suggest a...

Obama's Economics Are Working
 Obama's 
 Economics 
 Are Working 
analysis
Mar 10, 2010 1:11 PM CST

Obama's Economics Are Working

Ignore the political crowd, the president's been great for business

(Newser) - President Obama doesn't get much political credit for it, but the numbers show his economic policies have been a resounding success. Since he took office, the S&P 500 is up 41%, credit spreads have narrowed, commodity prices have surged, and housing prices have stabilized, writes Mike Dorning of Bloomberg...

Brace Yourself, $3 Gas Is Coming Back
Brace Yourself, $3 Gas
Is Coming Back 
Analysis
Mar 2, 2010 1:46 PM CST

Brace Yourself, $3 Gas Is Coming Back

Average national price climbs, even though driving is down

(Newser) - Remember the good old days when gas was over $3? Well, get ready for some déjà vu. The average national price of a gallon climbed 4.7 cents last week alone, to $2.702, continuing a trend that saw it rise 76.8 cents over the past year, while...

New Home Sales Plummet 11.2%, Erase All '09 Gains

Drop surprises analysts, wipes out recent gains

(Newser) - New home sales took a stunning plunge in January, dropping 11.2% to a new record low, wiping out all the gains the housing market had made over the past year. The figure blindsided analysts, who had expected a 3.8% increase, according to a Wall Street Journal poll. The...

Ignore Glimmers of Hope, Economy's Still in the Tank
Ignore Glimmers of Hope,
Economy's Still in the Tank
PAUL KRUGMAN
Jan 4, 2010 8:48 AM CST

Ignore Glimmers of Hope, Economy's Still in the Tank

If Obama takes his foot off the gas, it'll be 1937 all over again

(Newser) - Don’t believe the hype, ignore any rising GDP or employment figures, and whatever you do don’t call it a recovery—or we’re going to wind up right back where we started, argues Paul Krugman in the New York Times . There are indeed positive numbers coming, and with...

Stocks Set to Cap Off Stellar Year
 Stocks Set to 
 Cap Off 
 Stellar Year 
MARKETS
Dec 28, 2009 9:11 AM CST

Stocks Set to Cap Off Stellar Year

2009 the best year for the market since 2003

(Newser) - Stocks are expected to rise this week, capping off Wall Street’s best year in recent memory. It’s the first time in two years that stocks have posted annual growth, and for the S&P 500, it could be the best year since 2003. Though the economy is far...

Forget the Rosy Stats: The Little Guy Is in Bad Shape
Forget the Rosy Stats:
The Little Guy Is in Bad Shape
Nouriel Roubini
Nov 18, 2009 1:34 PM CST

Forget the Rosy Stats: The Little Guy Is in Bad Shape

Economy far worse off than statistics indicate

(Newser) - Don’t believe the rosy official statistics; for most Americans, the economy is in incredibly bad shape, according to the economist some call “Dr. Doom.” We’re looking at a tale of two economies, Nouriel Roubini writes in the Globe and Mail . For top businesses, it’s recovering...

Economy Grows in Q3, Signals End of Recession

Tenuous 3.5% growth is best showing in two years

(Newser) - The economy grew at a 3.5% pace in the third quarter, the best showing in two years, fueled by government-supported spending on cars and homes. The Commerce Department's report today delivered the strongest signal yet that the economy entered a new, though fragile, phase of recovery and that the...

Unemployment Hits 9.7%, but Job Losses Are Slowing

(Newser) - The US lost 216,000 jobs last month, driving unemployment to 9.7%, its highest level since 1983, the Wall Street Journal reports. The silver lining is that job losses have slowed; payrolls dropped a revised 276,000 in July, and earlier months saw losses of as many as 700,...

Pinched Writer Picks Up the Toilet Brush
Pinched Writer Picks Up
the Toilet Brush 
COMMENTARY
Aug 17, 2009 1:19 PM CDT

Pinched Writer Picks Up the Toilet Brush

(Newser) - Even with two degrees and a book deal, Rebecca Golden has had a tough time keeping her bank balance above zero, she writes for Salon, so she's turned to an edifying, if often terrifying, sideline: cleaning houses. “I suppose I could find other ways to make ends meet,”...

Economy Is Only Recovering on Paper
Economy Is Only
Recovering on Paper
Analysis
Aug 12, 2009 9:03 AM CDT

Economy Is Only Recovering on Paper

(Newser) - If you’re the glass-half-full type, recent economic indicators look good: Unemployment fell last month, the savings rate is up, and productivity hit a 6-year high. But that same data proves that ordinary people aren’t likely to feel the good vibrations anytime soon, the Washington Post reports. “It's...

GDP Slows Descent, Falls Just 1%

(Newser) - The US economy contracted in the second quarter, but it was a mild decline that beat analyst estimates, Bloomberg reports. GDP fell 1%, less than the 1.5% economists predicted, and a heck of a lot less than the 6.4% and 5.4% drops seen in the two previous...

Home Sales Take Biggest Jump in 8 Years

(Newser) - New home sales jumped 11% in June, the biggest gain in eight years, the Commerce Department announced today, as the supply fell to its lowest level in more than a decade. With mortgage rates and prices staggeringly low—the median home price fell 12%—buyers came out of the woodwork....

Major Companies Believe a Rebound Cometh

Firms split on whether the bottom has been reached

(Newser) - Some major companies are slowly becoming optimistic about the economy again, the Wall Street Journal reports. Delta Airlines says seat sales are almost at the level they were a year ago and United Technologies says its decline in orders is stabilizing. Intel is among the most upbeat, saying "the...

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