U.S. Economic News
February 17, 2021
U.S. Economic Indicators
The headline Producer Price Index (“PPI”) for final demand rose 1.3% in January and is up 1.7% year-over-year. The core – which removes the volatile prices of food, energy, and trade services – rose 1.2% in January and is up 2.0% year-over-year. BLS Report
Retail sales rose 5.3% in January and were up 7.4% from last year. Core sales — which exclude autos, gasoline, building materials, and food services — increased 6.0% from the prior month. Census Bureau Report
Business inventories increased 0.6% in December but were down 2.4% from December of last year. Manufacturers’ sales rose 1.7% and were up 1.8% compared to a year ago. Census Bureau Report
Industrial production increased 0.9% in January but is down 1.8% year-over-year. Capacity utilization rose 0.7 points to 75.6%. Fed Report