Recent Economic Data Releases

Note: 

During healthy 

economic growth, 

at least three-quarters

of data releases 

are good news,

(in black ink), 

so bad news

(in red ink) 

will be rare:

.

        4/6/18

March  2018 

Household  Survey

             Employment

- Employment down   -37,000 in March 2018 (62.9% labor force participation)

- Employment up     +785,000 in February 2018 (63.0%

- Employment up     +409,000 in January 2018 (62.7%) 

- Employment up     +104,000 in December 2017 (62.7%)

- Employment up       +71,000 in November 2017 (62.7%)

- Employment down -478,000 in October 2017 (62.7%)

- Employment up     +906,000 in September 2017 (63.0%) 

- Employment down    -74,000 in August 2017 (62.9%) 

- Employment up      +345,000 in July 2017 (62.9%) 

- Employment up      +245,000 in June 2017 (62.8%) 

- Employment down   -233,000 in May 2017 (62.7%)

- Employment up       +156,000 in April 2017 (62.9%)

                  Unemployment

- Unemployment down -121,000 in March 2018

    (but decline is due only to drop outs from labor force)

- Unemployment up       +22,000 in February 2018

- Unemployment up     +108,000 in January 2018

- Unemployment down   -40,000 in December 2017

- Unemployment up       +92,000 in November 2017

- Unemployment down -235,000 in October 2017

- Unemployment down -331,000 in September 2017

- Unemployment up     +151,000 in August 2017

- Unemployment up         +4,000 in July 2017

- Unemployment up     +116,000 in June 2017

- Unemployment down -195,000 in May 2017

- Unemployment down -146,000 in April 2017

. 

.

          4/4/18  

Factory  Orders 

- February 2018    up +1.2% 

- January 2018 down -1.3% 

- December 2017 up +1.8%

- November 2017 up +1.7%

- October 2017     up +0.4% 

- September 2017 up +1.7%

- August 2017       up +1.2% 

- July 2017        down -3.3% 

- June 2017           up +3.2% 

- May 2017         down -0.3%

- April 2017        down -0.3% 

- March 2017         up +1.0% 

.

.

      4/3/18

Auto  Sales

- March 2017         was 17.5 million annual sales rate 

- February 2018    was 17.1

- January 2018     was 17.2 

- December 2017  was 17.9 

- November 2017  was 17.5

- October 2017      was 18.1 

- September 2017 was 18.6 

- August 2017       was 16.1

- July 2017            was 16.8

- June 2017           was 16.7 

- May 2017             was 16.8 

- April 2017            was 17.0

.

.

        4/2/18

Construction  Spending

- February 2018    up +0.1%

- January 2018      unchanged

- December 2017  up +1.6%

- November 2017  up +1.2%

- October 2017      up +0.1%

- September 2017 up +1.3%

- August 2017        up +0.5%

- July 2017        down -0.9%

- June 2017       down -0.8%

- May 2017            up +1.6%

- April 2017       down -1.8%

- March 2017         up +0.3%

.

.

       3/28/18

4Q  2017 GDP 

Real final sales  

excludes volatile inventory changes

 ( third estimate )

4Q 2017 was +3.3%

3Q 2017 was +2.4%

2Q 2017 was +3.0%

1Q 2017 was +2.7%

4Q 2016 was only +0.7%

3Q 2016 was +2.6% 

2Q 2016 was +2.9% 

1Q 2016 was only +1.2%

. 

.

         3/27/18

Case-Shiller  Home  Price Index

    (20-city not seasonally adjusted)

- January 2018      up +0.3% from December 2017

- December 2017  up +0.2% 

- November 2017  up +0.2% 

- October 2017      up +0.2%

- September 2017 up +0.4% 

- August 2017        up +0.4 

- July 2017            up +0.7% 

- June 2017           up +0.7% 

- May 2017            up +0.9% 

- April 2017           up +1.0%     

- March 2017         up +0.3%

- February 2017    up +0.4%            

Year-over-Year Gain

- January 2018 up +6.4% over January 2017          

.

.

           3/23/18

Durable  Goods  Orders

- February 2018    up +3.1%

- January 2018  down -3.5%

- December 2017  up +2.6%

- November 2017  up +1.7%

- October 2017  down -0.4%

- September 2017 up +2.4%

- August 2017       up +2.1%

- July 2017        down -6.8%

- June 2017           up +6.4%

- May 2017          unchanged

- April 2017        down -0.8%

- March 2017         up +2.4%

Excluding the volatile 

transportation industry orders:

   Up +1.2% in February 2018

Down -0.2% in January 2018

   Up +0.7% in December 2017

   Up +0.4% in November 2017

   Up +1.4% in October 2017

   Up +1.1% in September 2017

   Up +0.7% in August 2017

   Up +0.5% in July 2017

   Up +0.2% in June 2017

   Up +0.1% in May 2017

Down -0.4% in April 2017 

Down -0.2% in March 2017

. 

.

           3/23/18

New  Home  Sales  

- February 2018      up +0.5% 

- January 2018    down -4.7%

- December 2017 down -8.2%

- November 2017   up +13.0% 

- October 2017     down -3.6%

- September 2017  up +14.3% 

- August 2017       down -0.1%

- July 2017            down -8.9%

- June 2017              up +2.1% 

- May 2017               up +1.3% 

- April 2017           down -6.3%

- March 2017            up +3.7% 

.

.

       3/16/18

Industrial  Production 

- February 2018       up +1.1%

- January 2018     down -0.3% 

- December 2017     up +0.5%

- November 2017     up +0.3% 

- October 2017         up +1.6%

- September 2017     up +0.3%

- August 2017       down -0.4% 

- July 2017            down -0.2%

- June 2017              up +0.2%

- May 2017            unchanged

- April 2017               up +1.1%

- March 2017             up +0.2%

.

.

        3/16/18  

Housing  Starts  

- February 2018   down -7.0%

- January 2018      up +10.1%

- December 2017 down -7.1%

- November 2017     up +3.0%

- October 2017         up +8.8%

- September 2017 down -1.1%

- August 2017       down -1.1%

- July 2017           down -2.6%

- June 2017              up +7.8%

- May 2017            down -2.2%

- April 2017           down -2.9%

- March 2017         down -7.7%