Business Trends

  by RAYMOND J. KEATING- In both the manufacturing and service sectors, the latest reports capturing purchasing managers’ activities and views point to strong growth continuing in April. Indeed, looking ahead, as the pandemic retreats, the expansion of government emerges as the biggest threat to our economy. The Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing PMI registered […]

  by RAYMOND J. KEATING- Americans are a resilient bunch – including U.S. entrepreneurs, small businesses and their employees, and investors – as illustrated by the fact that real GDP growth in the first quarter of this year accelerated compared to the previous quarter’s growth rate, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. […]

by RAYMOND J. KEATING- In so many ways the pandemic has been a tough rode, to say the least. And that includes on the economic front. But there’s a nice piece of news from Gallup – that is, economic confidence moved into net positive territory for this time during this pandemic. As noted in the […]

by RAYMOND KEATING- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the latest estimate of jobs by state. And while all states have suffered during this pandemic economy, the damage has varied considerably by state. The BLS report on March 2021 nonfarm payroll employment noted that compared to February 2021, “Nonfarm payroll employment increased in […]

by RAYMOND J. KEATING- The strong housing market had taken a breather in February. In fact, both housing starts permits took a dive in February after months of strong growth. Given severe weather that struck major parts of the country, the question was: Did the February decline merely reflect a temporary, weather-related phenomenon, or was […]

by RAYMOND J. KEATING- After a weather-related decline in February, industrial production (the actual output of the manufacturing, mining and utility sectors of our economy) grew by 1.4 percent in March, as reported by the Federal Reserve. The February change registered -2.6 percent. Manufacturing, the largest chunk of industrial production, expanded by 2.7 percent in […]

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 […]