The Federal Reserve is getting plenty of advice as its policymaking committee prepares to meet today and Wednesday amid expectations that the central bank will lift interest rates by a modest quarter-point.
The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent in May, the lowest level since 2001, but the United States added a lackluster 138,000 jobs, well below what economists were expecting.
So what’s the state of U.S. manufacturing? Dueling Federal Reserve indexes for the New York and Philadelphia areas countered each other last week during a period that was generally light on economic reports.
Arriving together on Friday, reports on April retail sales, inflation and consumer sentiment portray a U.S. economy that continues to grow steadily and at a manageable pace.
The United States added 211,000 jobs in April, rebounding as expected from a lackluster weather-jinxed March, but although there are a lot of new people with paychecks, those who have been working aren’t seeing very much income growth from the strengthening economy.
New U.S. vehicle sales were disappointing in April, prompting concern that the auto industry’s lengthy boom is coming to an end.
The root of the problem was that consumer spending rose just 0.3 percent.
The U.S. housing industry sent generally positive signals last week, and that has implications for everyone who sells goods and services to homeowners, including boatbuilders and their dealers.
It began after the November election — a wave of confidence that washed over consumers and business owners — and months later two important barometers of economic sentiment show that Americans continue to expect rising growth and prosperity this year.
Sales of homes, big-ticket items (boats, too) are up, confidence is at a 16-year high and personal income is on a forward track
The Federal Reserve is getting plenty of advice as its policymaking committee prepares to meet today and Wednesday amid expectations that the central bank will lift interest rates by a modest quarter-point.
The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent in May, the lowest level since 2001, but the United States added a lackluster 138,000 jobs, well below what economists were expecting.
So what’s the state of U.S. manufacturing? Dueling Federal Reserve indexes for the New York and Philadelphia areas countered each other last week during a period that was generally light on economic reports.
Arriving together on Friday, reports on April retail sales, inflation and consumer sentiment portray a U.S. economy that continues to grow steadily and at a manageable pace.
The United States added 211,000 jobs in April, rebounding as expected from a lackluster weather-jinxed March, but although there are a lot of new people with paychecks, those who have been working aren’t seeing very much income growth from the strengthening economy.
New U.S. vehicle sales were disappointing in April, prompting concern that the auto industry’s lengthy boom is coming to an end.
The root of the problem was that consumer spending rose just 0.3 percent.
The U.S. housing industry sent generally positive signals last week, and that has implications for everyone who sells goods and services to homeowners, including boatbuilders and their dealers.
It began after the November election — a wave of confidence that washed over consumers and business owners — and months later two important barometers of economic sentiment show that Americans continue to expect rising growth and prosperity this year.
Sales of homes, big-ticket items (boats, too) are up, confidence is at a 16-year high and personal income is on a forward track
