• May 16, 2017
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The pace of home construction eased in April as builders took a breather after a strong start to the year. Housing starts ticked down 2.6% to a 1.17 million annual pace, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, and stood just 0.7% higher than in the same month last year. Permits fell 2.5% to a 1.23 million

• May 16, 2017
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CPI measure of inflation went up to 2.7 percent in April, latest figures show. Increased from 2.3 percent the previous month amid squeeze on consumers. The figure represents the highest CPI inflation has reached since June 2013.

• May 16, 2017
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Industrial production in April grew at the fastest monthly rate in more than three years, on the back of broad-based gains in the manufacturing sector. The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that industrial production grew 1% in April, topping the MarketWatch-compiled economist consensus for 0.5% growth. This is the fastest pace of growth since February 2014.

• May 13, 2017
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The U.S. central bank can keep raising interest rates with the labor market at full health and inflation on track to stabilize at 2%, said Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker on Friday. “Overall, things are looking good,” Harker said in a speech to the Urban Economic Policy Conference at Drexel University. “We’re essentially at normal

• May 12, 2017
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Consumers continue to shift shopping patterns online. Sales at U.S. retailers rose in April, and March sales were stronger than originally estimated, painting a stronger picture of American consumers than previously reported. Retail sales increased 0.4%, the Commerce Department said Friday, and were 4.5% higher compared to a year ago. A 0.2% monthly decline for

• May 12, 2017
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Core index up 0.1%, softer than expected U.S. consumer prices rebounded in April, bolstering the Federal Reserve’s case for continued interest rate hikes. The consumer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in April because of higher energy costs, the Labor Department said Friday. This followed a 0.3% drop in the prior month. Energy prices

• May 11, 2017
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The Bank of England on Thursday left its key interest rate at 0.25%, meeting widely held expectations. The vote to hold the rate steady was 7-1, with board member Kristen Forbes backing an increase. The central bank left unchanged the size of its asset purchase program at £435 billion ($562 billion) and its corporate-bond purchase

• May 11, 2017
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U.S. producer prices showed a broad-based gain in April, which pushed the annual increase up to the largest gain in five years, government data showed. The Labor Department said on Thursday its producer price index for final demand rose 0.5% last month. That was above expectations. Economists surveyed had predicted the producer price index would

• May 11, 2017
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The number of people receiving jobless benefits fell to the lowest level in 28 years, the Labor Department said Thursday, a further sign of a healthy labor market. Initial claims slipped 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 236,000 for the week ended May 6, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims have now been below 300,000,

• May 11, 2017
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Treasury prices slipped, pushing up yields, after producer prices rose and continued jobless claims sank to its lowest levels in more than 28 years, setting up the Federal Reserve to hike rates in preparation for higher inflation.