Business sales continued their modest cooldown in April after their stellar performance at the end of 2016. Sales were unchanged (5.6% y/y) in April from March following a downwardly revised 0.1% decline in March. For the major [...]
Introducing
Sandy Batten
in:Our Authors
Sandy Batten has more than 30 years of experience analyzing industrial economies and financial markets and a wide range of experience across the financial services sector, government, and academia. Before joining Haver Analytics, Sandy was a Vice President and Senior Economist at Citibank; Senior Credit Market Analyst at CDC Investment Management, Managing Director at Bear Stearns, and Executive Director at JPMorgan. In 2008, Sandy was named the most accurate US forecaster by the National Association for Business Economics. He is a member of the New York Forecasters Club, NABE, and the American Economic Association. Prior to his time in the financial services sector, Sandy was a Research Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Senior Staff Economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the US Treasury, and Economist at the International Monetary Fund. Sandy has taught economics at St. Louis University, Denison University, and Muskingun College. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in a wide range of academic publications. He has a B.A. in economics from the University of Richmond and a M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from The Ohio State University.
Publications by Sandy Batten
Global| Jun 14 2017Business Sales Unchanged While Inventories Slipped in April
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| May 12 2017
Business Sales Unchanged While Inventories Rise in March
Business sales were unchanged (6.5% y/y) in March from February versus an unrevised 0.2% monthly gain in February. For the major sectors, retail sales edged up 0.1% m/m (4.9% y/y) in March (posting a more solid 0.3% m/m gain when [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Apr 19 2017
U.S. Mortgage Loan Applications Fall
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its total Mortgage Applications Volume Index declined 1.8% last week (-24.9% y/y) in the week of April 14, more than reversing the 1.5% w/w rise in the preceding week. Refinancing [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Apr 19 2017
U.S. Mortgage Loan Applications Fall
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its total Mortgage Applications Volume Index declined 1.8% last week (-24.9% y/y) in the week of April 14, more than reversing the 1.5% w/w rise in the preceding week. Refinancing [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Apr 14 2017
Business Sales Outpaced by Inventories in February, But Trend Acceleration Intact
Business sales rose 0.2% m/m (7.1% y/y) in February versus a 0.3% monthly gain in January. For the major sectors, retail sales slipped 0.3% m/m (5.3% y/y) in February while both wholesale sales and manufacturing shipments increased. [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Feb 24 2017
U.S. New Home Sales Rebound in January, Though Less than Expected
Sales of new single-family homes rebounded in January, rising 3.7% m/m to 555,000 units, seasonally adjusted at an annual rate. The sharp 10.4% m/m drop in December was revised up to a 7.0% m/m decline (575,000 units), but this was [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Feb 15 2017
U.S. Business Sales Jumped While Inventories Slowed in December
Business sales jumped 2.0% m/m (5.2% y/y) in December. This was the largest monthly increase since March 2011 and the largest yearly increase since May 2012. All three major categories (retail, wholesale and manufacturing) posted [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
Industrial production decreased 0.3% m/m (+0.1% y/y) in January following a downwardly revised 0.6% m/m increase in December. The consensus from the Action Economics Survey had looked for an unchanged reading for total production. In [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jan 13 2017
U.S. Business Inventories Jumped While Sales Sputtered in November
Total business inventories increased 0.7% m/m (1.5% y/y) in November following a 0.1% m/m decline (originally reported as -0.2% m/m) in October. This rise was generally in line with market expectations, which looked for a 0.6% m/m [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Dec 28 2016
U.S. Pending Home Sales Slump in November
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that pending home sales fell 2.5% m/m (-0.4% y/y) in November after having edged up only 0.1% (not revised) in October. These sales are reported as an index with 2001=100. The [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Dec 27 2016
U.S. Consumer Confidence Soars to 15-year High
U.S. consumers are feeling a lot more optimistic about the future in December, according to The Conference Board Index of Consumer Confidence. It reported that its headline consumer confidence index for December jumped up to 113.7, [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Dec 22 2016
Durable Goods Orders Recoil in November--But All Aircraft
Led by a 13.2% drop in orders for transportation equipment (after a 12.3% m/m surge in October), U.S. durable goods orders recoiled in November, retreating 4.6% m/m (-1.9%y/y) following an upwardly revised 4.8% m/m jump in October. [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
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