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Orders for wares expected to last longer than three years improved for a third consecutive month in January according to the Census Bureau.  Their measure of Durable Goods Orders rose $900 million or 0.4 percent.  However, even after three months of increases, this indicator is not yet back to the September 2018 level because the 4.3 percent drop in October’s reading has yet to

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Prices paid by producers and wholesalers rose marginally in February 2019 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Their Producer Price Index rose 0.1 percent after declining a similar amount in both December and January.  Year-over-year, this price proxy is up 1.9 percent, declining modestly from 2.0 percent in January. 

Prices increased for Americans during the month of February 2019 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI).  On a seasonally adjusted basis, this inflation measure increased 0.2 percent.  Year-over-year, the all items index increased 1.5 percent. 

Small business optimism stopped its recent decline in February 2019 according to the National Federation of Independent Business.  This index of 10 components rose 0.5 percentage point to 101.7 after falling for five consecutive months.  This mild uptick is a welcome reprieve from the recent trend.