US job growth slowed sharply in December ... closing out the year on a surprisingly weak note and potentially complicating the Fed’s plan for its bond-buying program. Payrolls rose by 74,000 last month (of those, 40,000 were temporary positions), a sharp dip from numbers of over 200,000 the prior two months (and job growth of [...]
Led by gains in employment and production related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) increased to +0.60 in November from -0.07 in October. Topping a historical trend The index’s three month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) increased to +0.25 in November from +0.12 in October, marking its second consecutive reading above zero and its highest [...]
New orders for manufactured goods in September, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, increased 1.7 percent. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.2 percent. New orders for manufactured durable goods in September, up five of the last six months increased 3.8 percent. Shipments of manufactured durable goods in September, up two consecutive months, increased 0.4 percent. [...]