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America’s fiscal shortfall improved in June 2018 according to the Treasury Department.  America’s budget deficit improved to $74.9 billion from $146.8 billion in May.  Details within the report make the improvement look even better as there were substantial outlays that are not paid every month in this iteration. 

Fire and Ice

How the coordinated actions of the world's central bankers are beginning to diverge.

Prices paid by producers and wholesalers continued edging higher in June according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Their Producer Prince Index (PPI), which measures final demand, rose 0.3 percent as the first half of 2018 ended.  This increase follows upticks of 0.1 percent and 0.5 percent in April and May respectively.  Year-over-year, the PPI gained 3.4 percent, the largest

Small business confidence remains high in the U.S. according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).  Their optimism index gave back just 0.6 points in June after reaching its second highest reading ever in May. Despite the monthly setback, this reading of 107.2 is the sixth best tally in the survey’s 45-year history.