U.S. Economic News
March 29, 2019
U.S. Economic Indicators
Disposable personal income increased 0.2% in February after easing 0.2% in January, while real personal consumption expenditure (PCE) rose 0.1% in January. The PCE price index eased 0.1% (up 1.4% Y/Y) and the core price index increased 0.1% (up 1.8% Y/Y) in January. BEA Report
The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index rose 4.6 points to 98.4 in the final March reading and is down 3.0 points on the year. The Index of Consumer Expectations increased 4.4 points to 88.8, while the Current Economic Conditions Index rose 4.8 points to 113.3. University of Michigan
New home sales rose 4.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 667,000 in February, and are 0.6% above the February 2018 rate. The median sales price rose to $315,300 and the inventory of new homes dropped to 6.1 months at the current sales rate. Census Bureau Report
U.S. News
Nick Timiraos of the Wall Street Journal reports that Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said the central bank will closely monitor pressing risks to global growth, drawing on past examples of success by the Fed in mitigating risks from abroad. Clarida maintains that financial linkages have tightened from globalization, so foreign risks such as Brexit pose a greater threat. WSJ