Business Trends

by RAYMOND J. KEATING- The latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau showed retail and food services sales roaring back in March, after a decline in February. Retail and food services sales jumped by 9.8 percent in March. That came after a decline of 2.7 percent in February and another strong gain in January of […]

  by Raymond J. Keating- The latest edition of the Fed’s “Beige Book” pointed to the improvement in the economy accelerating some from late in February to early April. Based on interviews with “key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources,” it was reported that consumer spending “strengthened,” tourism was “more upbeat,” auto sales […]

  by RAYMOND J. KEATING- According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the Consumer Price Index jumped by 0.6 percent in March. It was the largest monthly increase since June 2009.  And that leap up came after things were running relatively hot in February (+0.4 percent) and in January (+0.3 percent.)  Over […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The latest consumer credit numbers point to growing confidence among consumers. While retails sales were down in February (in part due to weather issues), consumer credit actually spiked up – after being flat in January. Specifically, the Federal Reserve reported: “In February, consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The latest information from surveys on the services sector offers more good news on the direction of our economy. All Services Industries Report Growth The Institute for Supply Management’s Services PMI registered an all-time high in March 2021 at 63.7 percent, which was up by eight percentage points from February. The […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The latest employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that March registered as a strong month in terms of recovering lost jobs, as well as gains in at least one measure of entrepreneurship. Information from both surveys – i.e., the establishment survey and the household survey – pointed […]

  by Raymond J. Keating- The latest surveys on manufacturing point to solid growth having occurred in March, but with increasing challenges in terms of the supply chain. The IHS Markit U.S. Manufacturing PMI report noted that the March PMI hit the second-highest level on record (data going back to May 2007), thanks to strength […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index for March jumped to the highest level since March of last year. The March 2021 level came in at 109.7, which marked a leap up from February’s 90.4. The board noted: “The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The main, overarching economic story of this pandemic has remained generally similar across the United States. But there have been some notable differences by state. Overall, the U.S. economy suffered a serious decline in the first quarter of 2020, followed by a collapse in the second quarter. Then came a jump […]

by Raymond J. Keating- There are signs of hope in various places – hope that this pandemic will soon be put to rest for the sake of lives, public health, and the economy. That hope is tied to the distribution of vaccines, which will then lead to a return to normalcy, including for the economy. […]