U.S. Economic News

July 17, 2018

U.S. Economic Indicators

The NAHB Housing Market Index was unchanged at 68.0 in July.  Builder confidence remained strong due to robust consumer demand for new homes. NAHB Report 

Industrial production rose 0.6% in June (up 3.8% Y/Y), after decreasing 0.5% (revised) in May.  Capacity utilization rose 0.3 point to 78.0 in June.  Fed Report

U.S. News

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Trump administration has filed WTO claims against key trade partners in response to recent retaliatory tariffs. The U.S. says that the retaliatory tariffs, which came after the U.S. imposed tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, violate WTO rules while the U.S. tariffs are justified under international agreements. WSJ