Fact of the Week

  by Raymond J. Keating- More data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reinforced the story that job growth was poor in May. Released early this month, the May BLS employment report pointed to a slowdown in job growth. (See SBE Council analysis of that May jobs report here.) The BLS’s release of its […]

by Raymond J. Keating- May retail and food services sales were up by 0.5 percent compared to April, with the April-vs.-March change revised from -0.2 percent to +0.3 percent, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. With the May data and revisions, the picture on retail sales through the first five months […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Industrial production (i.e., the real output of the manufacturing, mining, and electric and gas utilities) took a welcome turn up in May, as did manufacturing output, which is the biggest chunk of industrial production. According to the Federal Reserve’s latest report, industrial production grew by 0.4 percent. That growth came after […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The May employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics points to a slowdown in job growth in May and over the past few months. First, the establishment survey showed that payrolls increased by only 75,000 in May. That also followed on payroll gains being revised downward for March (from […]

by Raymond J. Keating- So, which metropolitan areas are excelling in terms of job growth? SBE Council just took a look at the latest state data on employment, and now the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its latest report on “Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment.” First, it’s interesting to note that employment growth […]

  by Raymond J. Keating- Durable goods orders took a dive in April, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Census. Durable goods orders dropped by 2.1 percent in April. In addition, March orders were revised down from an increase of 2.6 percent to 1.7 percent. The big negative in April was […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released its latest estimates on real GDP growth in the states – for the fourth quarter 2018 and for all of 2018 – early this month. What might strike some people unfamiliar with these numbers is how much growth varies across the U.S. For example, […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Did the Fed’s take on the economy change via the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement released on May 1? Yes and no. First, the Fed upgraded its take on growth. In its March statement, the Fed said that “growth of economic activity has slowed from its solid rate in the […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its latest population estimates for counties across the nation. The numbers point to an interesting, and predictable, development in terms of people – at least in part – seeking out greater economic opportunity. Consider population changes in the four largest U.S. states – California, Texas, […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Retail sales bounced back nicely in March, after a stretch of several sluggish months. This was the largest monthly gain since September of 2017, and it beat market expectations. As reported by the Census Bureau, U.S. retail and food service sales grew by 1.6 percent in March. That was up from […]