According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, nonfarm payrolls increased in January by 243,000. This marked the largest gain in nonfarm employment since April 2011. The average 2011 gain per month came in at 152,000. Since a decline in nonfarm payrolls in early 2010, 36% of the jobs lost between January 2008 and February [...]
ShareAccording to the ADP National Employment Report, private-sector employment increased 170,000 from December to January. This marks the 24th consecutive month of increases. The average for the last three months of gains has been 223,000 versus an average of 163,000 per month for all of 2011. The ADP National Employment Report is a measure of [...]
ShareAccording to the Case-Shiller Home Price Index, prices in the 20-City Composite fell in 19 of the 20 cities from October to November. Only Phoenix saw an increase, with prices moving up .6% from October to November. Prices were also down 3.7% from November 2010 to November 2011. The Case-Shiller Price Indices are constructed to [...]
ShareAccording to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income for December increased .5%, up from an increase of .1% in November. Disposable personal income also increased in December, up .4% from November. Personal income is an individual’s total earnings from wages, passive enterprises, and investment interest and dividends. Disposable income is the amount left over [...]
ShareFourth quarter GDP rises 2.8%, the fastest growth since Q2 of 2010. Though a large percentage of the increase is a result of a buildup in inventories, consumer spending also saw an increase from the previous 2011 Q3 reading. From Q3 to Q4, consumer spending increased 2.0%, up from 1.7%. Gross Domestic Product is a [...]
ShareDurable-goods orders rose 3.0% in December, marking the third consecutive month of gains. The increase was fueled in large part by an 18.9% increase in nondefense aircraft and parts, though primary metals, machinery, electronics and communications equipment all saw nice gains. Durable-goods orders measures new orders placed with domestic manufacturers for immediate and future delivery [...]
ShareExisting-home sales for December 2011 increased 5% from November. This is the third consecutive month of increases and the second highest reading of 2011. The December level was also 3.6% above December 2010, and as a whole, existing-home sales were up 1.7% from 2010. Total housing inventory dropped 9.2% for December, representing a 6.2-month supply, [...]
ShareThe National Association of Home Builders (HAHB) Housing Market Index (HMI) rises in January to a reading of 25. This is up 4 points from the previous December reading of 21 and marks the 4th consecutive month of increases. The last time the HMI had a reading of 25 or more was in June of [...]
ShareHousing starts for November rose 9.3% to 685,000. The highest annual rate since April 2010. Leading the way was multi-family units, rising 32.2%. Single-family units saw an increase of 2.3%. Over the last year, housing starts are up 24.3%. The Housing Starts report measures the number of residential units on which construction is begun each [...]
ShareDisplayed in this chart are the average monthly returns for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1929. July tops the list with an average return of 1.5%, while December and January come in second and fourth overall. It’s possible stocks could be in for gain before year-end because of something that’s become known as the [...]
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