Tag Archives: US Economy

Economic figures released on Wednesday surpassed expectations in the US with Housing starts rising 1.4% in December to 1.70 million (annual). Analysts at Wells Fargo point out a milder than usual weather allowed more construction to take place in what is normally a seasonally slow month.Key Quotes: “Home building finished …

Builder confidence fell one point to 83 in January, according to the National Association of Home Builders.Of the index’s three components, current sales conditions was unchanged at 90. Sales expectations in the next six months fell 2 points to 83, and buyer traffic fell 2 points to 69. The average …

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has released its financial results for the last quarter of 2021. The bank said operating expenses reached 23% in 2021, the highest since 2007. Earnings per share for the fourth quarter were $10.81, and expectations were for $11.77. Thus, Goldman Sachs profits fell 13% to $3.94 …

Goldman Sachs expects oil to reach $100 a barrel in the second half of this year, citing less-than-expected demand damage from the Omicron variable, as well as increased supply disruptions. According to Reuters, the US bank expected, in a note dated Monday, that Brent crude prices would reach $90 a …

The yield on US 10-year Treasury bonds rose to a two-year high on Tuesday, in a sign that investors are preparing for more aggressive measures by the Federal Reserve. Investors are awaiting the Federal Reserve’s meeting next week, coinciding with a rise in the inflation rate, which recorded its highest …

Retail sales dropped 1.9% in December, a big slowdown at the holiday season’s end; manufacturing output fell for first time since SeptemberIn a confirmation hearing for his second term as Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell said the central bank would use its tools to tamp down inflation. US retail spending …

Consumer Sentiment has recorded the second-lowest reading in a decade. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index has recorded a dip of 2.5% in early January 2022 from its level in December 2021, according to preliminary results released Friday.The MCSI now stands at its second-lowest level in a decade, the …

US Retail Sales fell by 1.9% MoM in December, according to data published by the US Census Bureau revealed on Friday. That was well below market expectations for a MoM decline of -0.1% and marked a sharp deceleration from November’s growth rate of 0.2% (downwardly revised from 0.3%). That meant …

A new report from Rhodium Group suggested that the United States may have to play catch-up to regain progress in the fight against climate change following a year of volatile natural gas prices that led to more reliance on less expensive coal increased greenhouse gas emissions in 2021. In its …

Global Central Banks Start Turning Off Cash TapsAs speculation grows about when the US Federal Reserve will begin reducing the size of its balance sheet, some analysts say the era of “quantitative tightening” has already started and “quantitative easing” is over.Central bank balance sheets have ballooned since the pandemic struck …