• July 19, 2017
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Housing starts were at a 1.22 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, 8.3% higher than in May and 2.1% higher for the year. The MarketWatch consensus of economists was for a 1.16 million annual pace.

• July 18, 2017
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Falling import prices show that barely any inflation is coming into the U.S. from abroad. The price of imported goods fell in June for the third time in four months, the latest signal that inflation in the U.S. has waned after a rapid buildup last year. The import price index dropped 0.2% last month, largely

• July 17, 2017
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The New York Fed’s Empire State manufacturing index fell to a seasonally adjusted reading of 9.8 from 19.8 in June. Economists polled by Econoday expected a reading of 15, on a scale where any figure above zero indicates improving conditions. Readings in July for new orders, shipments, inventories, delivery times and number of employees all

• July 15, 2017
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The cost of rent is on the rise again, pressuring Americans’ pocketbooks and crimping growth throughout the economy. Rent rose 3.9% compared to a year ago in June, the Labor Department said Friday. While that’s only a slight uptick from 3.8% annual gains in the past couple of months, the average annual increase in each

• July 14, 2017
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The University of Michigan’s sentiment index slipped to 93.1 in July from 95.1 in June. The index has fallen from a 13-year high of 98.5 in January, when President Trump took office. Consumers were optimistic at the start of the Trump presidency, especially Republicans, but the early hopes about even faster U.S. growth appear to

• July 14, 2017
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Industrial production rose 0.4% in June, a touch ahead of expectations, as mining output surged 1.6%, the Federal Reserve reported. Utilities output as flat and manufacturing output edged up 0.2%.

• July 14, 2017
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The flurry of economic reports released Friday were not, on balance, that strong. But they may not be weak enough to derail the Federal Reserve’s plans for hiking interest rates and reducing its balance sheet later this year.

• July 14, 2017
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On Friday, the New York Fed said its “nowcast” has been reduced to 1.9% for the second quarter, down a tick from its last report, and from as high as 2.6% in April. A similar assessment from the Atlanta Fed called GDPNow fell to 2.4% from 2.6%, and is down from 4.3% in May.

• July 14, 2017
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Sales at retailers nationwide fell 0.2% last month to mark the second straight drop and match the biggest decline of the year. Sales also fell 0.1% in May, though fresh revisions show the decline was not as large as originally reported. The disappointing sales figures suggest the U.S. has not rebounded quite as strongly in

• July 14, 2017
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The cost Americans pay for goods and services was little-changed in June, larger reflecting lower gasoline prices but also showing that a recent surge in inflation has crested. The consumer-price index, or cost of living, was unchanged last month.