Manufacturers' orders increased 1.7% m/m (8.4% y/y) in December, the same monthly rise as in November (revised up from the initially reported 1.3% m/m increase). This was the sixth increase in factory orders in the past seven months. [...]
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| Feb 02 2018U.S. Factory Orders Jump in December
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Feb 01 2018
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The ISM composite index of business activity in the factory sector fell to 54.1 during December after rising to 59.3 in November. It was the lowest reading since November 2016. A level of 57.8 had been expected in the Action Economics [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jan 31 2018
U.S. Employment Costs Slow in Q4 But Continue Longer-term Rise
The employment cost index for civilian workers rose 0.6% q/q in the fourth quarter of 2017, down from a 0.7% q/q rise in the third quarter. However, the y/y rate of increase advanced to 2.7% in the fourth quarter from 2.5% in the [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jan 30 2018
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The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that pending home sales fell 0.7% in November 101.4 index in Nov The pending home sales index measures sales at the time the contract for an existing home is signed, analogous to the [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jan 30 2018
U.S. Pending Home Sales Decline Again, Fell to Lowest since Spring 2014
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that pending home sales fell 2.2% m/m (-9.8% y/y) in December. This was the third consecutive monthly decline and the seventh decline in the past nine months. The December reading [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jan 26 2018
U.S. Durable Goods Orders Soared in December Propelled Again by Aircraft
New orders for durable goods soared 2.9% m/m (11.5% y/y) in December on top of an upwardly revised 1.7% m/m gain in November (initially reported as +1.3%). The Action Economics Forecast Survey had anticipated a 0.9% m/m increase. For [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jan 12 2018
U.S. Retail Sales Were Solid in December with Upward Revisions to October and November
Total retail sales posted a solid 0.4% m/m (5.4% y/y) increase in December on top of strong upwardly revised rises in October and November. The initially reported 0.5% m/m increase in October was revised up to a 0.7% m/m rise, and the [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Jan 05 2018
U.S. November Trade Deficit Widens Even Though Exports Rebound
The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened to $50.5 billion in November from a slightly upwardly revised $48.9 billion in October. The November deficit was meaningfully larger than the consensus expectation of $49.1 billion [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Dec 21 2017
U.S. FHFA House Price Treads Water in October
The Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) index of U.S. house prices rose 6.6% y/y in October, up only slightly from a 6.5% y/y increase in September. While this reading is down from the recent peak of 7.1% in April, the annual pace [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Dec 21 2017
U.S. FHFA House Price Treads Water in October
The Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) index of U.S. house prices rose 6.6% y/y in October, up only slightly from a 6.5% y/y increase in September. While this reading is down from the recent peak of 7.1% in April, the annual pace [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
The Philadelphia Federal Reserve reported that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index rose to 26.2 in December from 22.7 in November. Expectations had been for a reading of 20.5 in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- Global| Dec 08 2017
U.S. Wholesale Inventories Slump; Sales Rise but Slow
Wholesale inventories fell 0.5% m/m (+3.8% y/y) in October following a downwardly revised 0.1% m/m increase in in September (initially +0.3% m/m). The summer rebound in inventories has slowed recently. Seasonally adjusted inventories [...]
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
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