US housing starts higher than expected

  • November 17, 2017
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  • realestate

U.S. housing starts were forecast to total 1.185 million in October, up from the 1.127 million reported for the previous month.

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Philly Fed manufacturing index slows in November from strong level

  • November 16, 2017
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The Philadelphia Fed’s manufacturing index slowed to a reading of 22.7 in November from 27.9 in October. Any reading above zero indicates improving conditions.

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U.S. jobless claims jump to 6-week high

  • November 16, 2017
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Initial jobless claims, a tool to measure U.S. layoffs, rose by 10,000 to 249,000 in the week ended Nov. 11. The number of applications hit a six-week high and exceeded the 235,000 estimate of economists polled. The more stable monthly average of claims rose by 6,500 to 237,750, the government said Thursday. The number of

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U.S. retail sales rise modestly in October after surge in prior month

  • November 15, 2017
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  • realestate

Retail sales slowed in October after a sharp gain in the prior month. Sales rose 0.2% in October, better than forecasts of a flat reading. Sales rose a revised 1.9% in September, up from the prior estimate of a 1.6% gain, boosted by post-hurricane spending. Excluding autos, sales rose 0.1% after a 1.2% gain in

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Empire State index retreats in November from three-year high

  • November 15, 2017
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  • realestate

The Empire State index fell 10.8 points to 19.4, moving back from a three-year higj but still pointing to a solid manufacturing environment in the New York area. Any reading above zero indicates improving conditions. The new-orders index rose to 20.4 and shipments fell to 18.4.

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Core CPI picks up while retail sales gain 0.2% in October

  • November 15, 2017
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Consumer prices minus food and energy picked up a bit in October while retail sales rose modestly, according to government data released Wednesday. The overall CPI rose by a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in October, while core prices rose a slightly stronger 0.2%. Over the past 12 months, core consumer inflation has risen 1.8%, up from

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U.S. producer prices surge 0.4% in October

  • November 14, 2017
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The producer price index rose 0.4% in October. That was well above the MarketWatch forecast of a 0.1% gain. Another measure preferred by economists, known as core PPI, rose 0.2% for the third straight month. The core rate strips out food, energy and trade margins. The increase in the PPI pushed the 12-month rate of

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Fed’s Harker pulls back slightly his support for a December rate hike

  • November 13, 2017
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Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker on Sunday seemed to waiver a bit in his support for another interest rate hike in December. In a speech in Tokyo, Harker said that he has “lightly penciled in” a December move, backing away a bit from the phrase “penciled in” that he had used in in an interview

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Consumer sentiment falls in November amid slight stirrings of inflation concerns

  • November 10, 2017
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  • realestate

Consumer sentiment declined in November, albeit from very strong levels. The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell to 97.8 from 100.7 in October. Economists polled by expected a 100.7 reading.

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Four-week jobless claims average falls to lowest level since March 1973

  • November 9, 2017
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Initial U.S. jobless claims, a tool to measure layoffs, rose by 10,000 to 239,000 in the week ended Nov. 4. That was higher than the 231,000 estimate of economists polled. The more stable monthly average of claims decreased by 1,250 to 231,250 to the lowest level since March 1973. The number of people already collecting

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