The Producer Price Index increased by 0.3% in October to 174.1 (1982=100). The index was expected to increase by 0.5%, following a 0.6% decline in September and a 1.7% rise in August. Over the year, the index has decreased by 1.9%. The index for energy goods and prices for consumer foods both rose by 1.6%. Excluding food and energy prices, Core PPI fell the second consecutive time, by 0.6% after a 0.1% decrease in the previous month.

Industrial Production increased by 0.1 percent in October to an index value of 98.6 (2002=100), lower than the expected increase of 0.4%. This follows a 0.6% increase in September, revised downward from an originally reported increase of 0.7%. Over the year, the industrial production index is down by 7.1%. Capacity Utilization was reported at 70.7%, an increase from the 70.5% level in September. In October 2008, Capacity Utilization was

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The Producer Price Index is down by 0.6% in September to 173.4 (1982=100), was expected to decrease by 0.1%, following an increase of 1.7% in August and a 0.9% decline in July. Over the year, the index has decreased by 4.8%.  The index for energy goods is down by 0.1% in September and prices for consumer foods declined by 2.4%.  Excluding food and energy prices, Core PPI fell by 0.1% after a 0.2% increase in the previous month.

Housing Starts in September grew by 0.5% to an annual pace of 590,000, less than the expected 608,000 pace, from the downwardly revised 587,000 in August (originally reported at 598,000).  Over the year the figure has declined by 28.2% from the September 2008 rate of 822,000.  Building Permits declined by 1.2%, over the month to 573,000, less than the expected 597,000 level, following 580,000 permits annualized in August.  Over

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The Producer Price Index increased by 1.8% in June to 174.1 (1982=100), expected to increase by 0.9%, following a 0.2% increase in May, and a 0.3% increase in April. Over the year, the index has decreased by 4.6%.  The index for energy goods jumped 6.6% after advancing 2.9% in the prior month.  Prices for consumer foods increased by 1.1%, following a 1.6% drop in May.  Excluding food and energy prices, Core PPI increased by 0.5%, following a 0.1% decrease in May and a 0.1% increase in April. 

Retail Sales increased by 0.6% in June to$342.1 billion, more than the 0.4% growth analysts had expected , after advancing 0.5% in May and falling 0.2% in April.  Over the past year, retail sales volume has decreased by 9.0%.  Sales in gasoline stations showed to be strongest in May, increasing by 5.0% over the month, although since June of 2008 sales

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Initial Claims increased to 637,000 for the week ending 05/09, a jump of 32,000 above last week's level of 605,000 (originally reported at 601,000), from 635,000 for the week ending 04/25.  This exceeded expectations for the week of 604,000 filings, marking the 15th consecutive week filings surpassed 600,000.  The 4-week moving average was 630,500, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised average of 624,500.  The drop in unemployment filings last week were cited from layoffs in transportation and trade industries in New York and fewer layoffs in automobile industries in Michigan. 

The Producer Price Index increased by 0.3% in April to 169.9 (1982=100), expected to increase by 0.1%, following a 1.2% reduction in March and a 0.1% increase in February. Over the year, the index has decreased by 3.7%.  Wholesale prices fell largely due to fallen energy prices.  Excluding food and energy prices,

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The Producer Price Index decreased by 1.2% in March to 168.9 (1982=100), following a 0.1% increase in February and by 0.8% in January which broke the 5 consecutive months of decline in the index. Expectations were that the PPI would decrease by 0.1%, generating a negative surprise. Over the year, the index has decreased by 3.5%.  Wholesale prices fell largely due to fallen energy prices.  Excluding food and energy prices, Core PPI was unchanged following a 0.2% increase last month.  Prices for energy goods are down 5.5% after rising by 1.3% in February, while the index for consumer foods fell by 0.7% after falling 1.6% last month.

Retail Sales fell by 1.1% in March to an annual pace of $344.4 billion, as consumers continue to hold back spending, much less than the expected 0.3% increase.  Over the past year, retail sales volume has decreased by 10.1%. 

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The Producer Price Index increased by 0.1% to 170.1 (1982=100) in February, after increasing by 0.8% in January which broke the 5 consecutive months of decline in the index, following a 1.9% drop in December, a 2.2% drop in November, and a 2.8% drop in October (record highest decline). Expectations were that the PPI would increase by 0.4%, generating a negative surprise. Over the year, the index has decreased by 1.3%. Excluding food and energy prices, Core PPI increased by 0.2%, following a 0.4% increase last month. In February, prices for energy goods increased by 1.3% after rising 3.7% last month, while the index for consumer foods fell by 1.6% after falling 0.4% last month.

Housing Starts for February rose by 22.2%to 583,000, jumping off of January's steep decline with an all-time low of 477,000 starts, originally reported at 466,000 . This comes as a significant positive

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   The Producer Price Index fell for the 5th consecutive month, by 1.9% to 168.8 (1982=100) following a 2.2% drop in November, and a 2.8% drop in October (record highest decline), and is the third highest drop recorded in the index  Over the year, the index has decreased 0.9%.  The index last increased in 2001, by 1.6%, when the country was also last in a recession.  Excluding food and energy prices, Core PPI increased by 0.2%, following a 0.1% increase last month.  In December,  prices for energy goods fell 9.3%, fell 20.3% the past year,  while the index for consumer foods fell by 1.5% in December, but rose 3.7% for the past year.  The Core CPI has increased by 4.3% over the past year. 

Upcoming ReleasesConsumer Price Index (01/16 at 8:30 AM EST)Capacity Utilization (01/16 at 9:15 AM EST)Industrial Production (01/16 at 9:15 AM EST)

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Retail Sales fell 1.8% to $355.7 billion in November, as anticipated, following a drop of 2.9% (originally reported 2.8%) in October, and the 5th consecutive month exhibiting a decline in retail sales which are down 7.4% from November 2007 levels.  Sales at gasoline stations fell the most this month, by 14.7% in November and by 22% over the year as a result of lower gasoline prices.  Sales at Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores and Electronics and appliance stores increased revenues by 2.8% this month.  Retail sales excluding autos, which tends to be a more volatile component of spending, decreased1.6%, slightly higher than the 1.7% estimated decline, following a 2.4% drop  in October, and declined 2.9% over the past year.  Sales in motor vehicle parts and dealers are down 2.8% over the month and 25.2% from November 2007.

The Producer Price Index fell for

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The economic calendar starts very slow this week, with only the Pending Home Sales report coming on Tuesday. Once Wednesday morning rolls around, it’s a mad dash to the finish with 11 reports coming in the last three days of the week.

The reports that matter most come on Friday morning before the market opens.

Friday is when the PPI and Core PPI figures for November are announced, and it is a mixed bag. The Core PPI figures (which exclude food and energy costs) are expected to show a modest increase of 0.20 percent. The PPI figure is expected to show a decline of nearly two percent. This is the direct result of the continued slide in energy prices. The price for energy goods dropped 12.8 percent in October, and I would expect a similar drop this month.

Simultaneous to the PPI announcement on Friday morning are the Retail Sales figures

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I have been much more positive about the Japanese economy than most other analysts in recent months, largely because I believed that many of the problems from the Japanese recession of 1990-2003 were finally in the country’s rearview mirror. In particular, I believed that the Japanese budget deficit – which, by 2003, had become quite acute – was well on the way to being solved through public spending restraint. That, in turn, would allow Japan to pay down its excessive public debt, giving its private sector room to expand. But the surprise resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Monday suggests I may have been wrong about the country’s near-term prospects. Japan Gives Investors a Bubble Bath The Japanese stock market and real estate bubble of the 1980s is now the stuff of stock-market legend, for it sent that country into ...