Bureau Of Economic Analysis

Fundamental Analysis EUR "Germany is holding up the rest of the euro zone”" - Nick Kounis, head of macroeconomic research at ABN Amro Germany helped the Eurozone avoid its second recession in three years. Overall gross domestic product stagnated in the first three months of 2012, compared to the previous quarter, Eurostat data showed on Tuesday. USD "There’s a lot of slack in the economy" - Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James & Associates Inc. Inflation in the U.S. stagnated in April, restrained by a decline in energy costs. The core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy costs, rose 0.2 per cent, showed Bureau of Labor Statistics data on Tuesday. GBP "March's UK trade figures showed a bit of an improvement, although the external sector still looks likely to ...

U.S. Retail Sales Increased as Expected in April - Retail spending inched up 0.1% in April 2012, which was in line with market expectations, and followed solid 0.7% (revised from 0.8%) and 1.0% (was 1.1%) gains in March and February, respectively. - Motor vehicles and parts sales rose 0.5% in April, which was consistent with the previously reported 0.4% rise in unit vehicle sales in the month. - Excluding the auto component, sales also rose a modest 0.1% following an unrevised 0.8% jump in March. Much of the moderation in the pace of growth reflected declines in sales at gasoline and building material stores. The rise in April was modestly below market expectations for a 0.2% increase. - The so called 'control' retail sales (which exclude sales of gasoline, motor vehicles, ...

Dukascopy Fundamental Analysis EUR European stocks declined as company earnings missed estimates, talks on forming a Greek government entered a fifth day and JPMorgan Chase & Co. posted a $2 billion trading loss. Asian shares and U.S. futures fell. USD Wholesale prices in the U.S. fell in April for the first time in four months, led by a decline in fuel costs that signals inflation may cool. The producer price index dropped 0.2 percent after no change in March, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. GBP Britons turned gloomier last month as a slump in construction pointed to an even deeper recession and producers ramped up prices, highlighting the long and difficult road back to economic health. CHF Swiss stocks fell for the seventh day, heading for the biggest weekly ...

U.S. Trade Deficit Widened in March -The US trade deficit was $51.8 billion in March 2012, which was larger than the expected $50.0 billion shortfall; February's gap was revised to $45.4 billion from $46 billion. -Exports rose 2.9% in March and imports jumped by 5.2%. -The widening in the trade gap in March was in line with that assumed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Recent data showing that inventory growth and construction spending were less than assumed by the BEA, however, raise the prospect that the growth rate will be nudged lower than the 2.2% pace originally reported. The prospect of the US economy growing at a faster pace in the second quarter of 2012 remains intact. The US economy continued to generate jobs in April, albeit more slowly than forecasters ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "The U.S. labor-market report will further erode investor confidence" - Markus Allenspach, head of bond research at Julius Baer Group Ltd. European stocks extended weekly losses, after a report showed U.S. companies added fewer jobs than expected in April. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index erased 1.76 per cent to 253.00. Germany’s DAX Index tumbled 1.99 per cent and France’s CAC 40 Index contracted 1.90 per cent. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index lost 1.93 per cent to 5,655.06. USD "We’re still very much on the recovery path, but we’ve got a huge amount of ground to make up in the labor market" - Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James & Associates Inc. The number of Americans, who have found a job in the private sector in April, tumbled to 115,000 from 154,000 the ...

U.S. Manufacturing Growth Unexpectedly Accelerated in April; Construction Spending Was Higher in March - The ISM manufacturing index jumped to 54.8 in April 2012 from 53.4 in the previous month. Expectations were for a decline to 53.0. - The gain in the headline index reflected large increases in "production", "new orders", "employment", and "supplier deliveries" while the "inventories" component declined to provide a partial offset. - Today's ISM manufacturing report indicated that manufacturing activity in the US has sustained its momentum into the second quarter of 2012, thereby suggesting that the sector should remain a key support to the continued expansion of the overall economy in the coming months. - In a separate report, construction spending rose 0.1% in March 2012. ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "We fear things are likely to get worse before they get better" - Martin van Vliet, a senior euro-region economist at ING Bank Spain sank into recession in the first quarter of 2012. The economy contracted 0.3 per cent, after shrinking by the same amount in the previous quarter, Madrid-based National Statistics Institute data showed on Monday. USD "What was encouraging was that the income numbers improved. Our expectation is that job growth does increase gradually" - Peter Newland, an economist at Barclays Capital Inc. U.S. consumer spending was boosted by higher than expected incomes, said the Bureau of Economic Analysis on Monday. Household purchases increased 0.3 per cent. Incomes gained 0.4 per cent, the most in three months. GBP "This is year three of a ...

Multiple key data and reports from the key sectors and activities were released this week in the superpower all in all confirming one clear scheme; the world's leading economy is expanding only moderately, watching a gradual recovery taking place successfully but remains insufficient to suppress the jobless levels to boost growth. It is no surprise that the Federal Open Market Committee decided as accustomed and as already forecasted to keep the federal funds target rate intact at its historical low of 0.00 percent to 0.25 percent, and attesting once again that the country's economic momentum during this past period was "expanding moderately". Having in mind that several times before we have watched the FOMC members pledge to keep exceptionally low rates through at least late 2014; the ...

Weekly Economic and Financial Commentary U.S. Review First-Quarter GDP Growth Slows The U.S. economy grew at a 2.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter, somewhat slower than the consensus had expected. Consumption remained the primary driver of growth as business spending slowed and the government sector continued to scale back spending. In our U.S. review section this week, we discuss the GDP report in the context of the big miss in durables and consider what it means for business spending going forward. We also look at a very small change in the Fed statement this week that reflects an improving view on the troubled housing sector. Business Spending Poised for a Slowdown? Durable goods orders for March were ugly. The 4.2 percent drop was the largest decline since the U.S. ...