Census Bureau

Durable Goods Orders jumped in December 2017 according to the Census Bureau.  Rising 2.9 percent to $249.4 billion, the most recent uptick followed November’s upwardly revised tally of 1.7 percent (originally 1.3 percent).  From the vantage point of this indicator’s headline, the outlook for the economy is positive as orders for wares expected to last at least three years

Sales of new homes fell in December 2017 according to the Census Bureau.  Signed contracts declined 9.3 percent in the period to 625,000 units on an annualized rate.

Retail sales added to economic output as 2017 came to a close according to the Census Bureau.  Spending totaled $495.4 billion in December, rising 0.4 percent.  Compared to a year earlier, retail sales improved 5.4 percent.  Additionally, November’s count was revised upward to 0.9 percent from the already impressive 0.8 percent jump in the initial release.

New home sales growth was strong in November 2017 according to data from the Census Bureau.  Rising to 733,000 units on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, its 17.5 percent surge is the largest in 25 years.  Compared to a year earlier, transactions increased 26.6 percent. 

Sales of new homes surged in September 2017.  According to the Census Bureau, transactions rose to 667,000 on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis.  This is 18.9 percent above August’s upwardly revised tally of 561,000 (originally 560,000).  This jump represents the largest percentage gain in 28 years and puts the indicator at its highest level in the current economic cyc

The estimate for output growth during the second quarter of 2017 was revised marginally higher by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.  Their third and “final” attempt to quantify gross domestic product (GDP) indicates the economy grew 3.1 percent on an inflation-adjusted, annualized basis versus 3.0 in the second estimate.  For comparison, GDP increased just 1.2 percent from

Durable Goods Orders increased 1.7 percent in August 2017 according to the Census Bureau’s most recent release. This uptick, the second of the last three months, reversed just a portion of the 6.8 percent decrease in July. Transportation’s 4.9 percent surge led this indicator higher; excluding this component leaves an improvement of 0.2 percent.

Sales of new homes fell in August 2017 according to the Census Bureau.  Transaction volume declined 3.4 percent versus July, falling to 560,000 units on an annualized basis.  Compared to a year earlier, 1.2 percent fewer contracts were signed in the period, declining for a second consecutive time.

New homes sales were weak in July 2017 according to data from the Census Bureau.  Signed contracts declined to 571,000 on an annualized basis, falling 59,000 units.  However, there were substantial upgrades to the prior two months’ tallies adding a combined 30,000 to May and June.  Notwithstanding the upgrades to the prior periods, July’s figure is the worst of the ye