- Initial claims fall to a four-week low.
- Continued claims were unchanged in the week ending January 29.
- Insured unemployment rate holds steady.
Introducing
Kathleen Stephansen, CBE
in:Our Authors
Kathleen Stephansen is a Senior Economist for Haver Analytics and an Independent Trustee for the EQAT/VIP/1290 Trust Funds, encompassing the US mutual funds sponsored by the Equitable Life Insurance Company. She is a former Chief Economist of Huawei Technologies USA, Senior Economic Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group, Chief Economist of the American International Group (AIG) and AIG Asset Management’s Senior Strategist and Global Head of Sovereign Research. Prior to joining AIG in 2010, Kathleen held various positions as Chief Economist or Head of Global Research at Aladdin Capital Holdings, Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette Securities Corporation.
Kathleen serves on the boards of the Global Interdependence Center (GIC), as Vice-Chair of the GIC College of Central Bankers, is the Treasurer for Economists for Peace and Security (EPS) and is a former board member of the National Association of Business Economics (NABE). She is a member of Chatham House and the Economic Club of New York. She holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the Universite Catholique de Louvain and graduate degrees in economics from the University of New Hampshire (MA) and the London School of Economics (PhD abd).
Publications by Kathleen Stephansen, CBE
USA| Feb 10 2022U.S. Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance Decline Again
USA| Feb 03 2022U.S. Factory Orders Posted a Modest Decline in December
- New orders for manufacturing goods dropped in December following seven consecutive monthly gains.
- Shipments were up 19 of the last twenty months.
- Both unfilled orders and inventories rose again during December.
USA| Jan 28 2022U.S. Employment Costs Continued to Post Robust Gains in Q4
- Overall compensation rose 1.0% q/q in Q4, though shy of the 1.3% Q3 gain.
- Wages and salaries rose 1.1% q/q.
- Benefits increased 0.9% q/q in Q4, a similar gain to Q3.
USA| Jan 14 2022U.S. Industrial Production Took a Breather in December
- Industrial production is 0.6% higher than its pre-pandemic level.
- Durable and nondurable goods output posted small declines in December.
- Capacity utilization was little changed.
USA| Jan 05 2022U.S. Mortgage Applications Declined in Late-December
- Both purchase and refinancing applications dropped.
- 30-year rate edged up.
- Purchase loan size declined.
USA| Jan 04 2022ISM Manufacturing Index Declined in December
- Manufacturing activity grew at a softer pace in December than in November.
- A drop in supplier delivery performance indicates a quicker pace of product delivery.
- Sharply lower prices paid point to declining pricing power.
USA| Dec 30 2021U.S. Chicago Business Barometer Rose to 63.1 in December
- The Chicago Business Barometer rose in December, picking up again after November's decline.
- Inventories hit a 4-year high as firms are stockpiling to get ahead of supply-chain disruptions.
- The employment index dipped again in December.
USA| Dec 28 2021U.S. FHFA House Price Increase Strengthened in October
- Gains are smaller than in the spring.
- Monthly house prices range is wide.
- In East South Central and Pacific regions, prices accelerated noticeably.
- Component declines were broad based.
- New orders dropped from the November multi-year high.
- Delivery times eased.
Global| Jun 08 2021U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices Stabilize at High Level; Crude Oil Prices Continue to Rise
• Gasoline prices appear to have plateaued. • Crude oil prices continue their ascent. • Natural gas prices appear to find a trough. Retail gasoline prices rose ever so slightly to $3.04 per gallon (49.1% y/y) in the week ended June 7 [...]
- Global| Jun 03 2021
U.S. Productivity Remains Strong in Q1
• Upward revisions in output and compensation. • Unit labor costs are revised up sharply. • Continued surge in compensation per hour. The first revision of nonfarm business sector productivity kept the Q1 rise unchanged at 5.4% (SAAR, [...]
- Global| May 27 2021
U.S. Durable Goods Orders Fell in April
• Transportation orders drive the monthly decline in overall orders. • Core capital goods orders remain on a strong trajectory. • Shipments of durable goods and of core capital goods post healthy gains. Manufacturers' orders for [...]
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