U.S. Economic News
January 15, 2021
U.S. Economic Indicators
The headline Producer Price Index (“PPI”) for final demand rose 0.3% in December and is up 0.8% year-over-year. The core – which removes the volatile prices of food, energy, and trade services – rose 0.4% in December and is up 1.1% year-over-year. BLS Report
The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index dropped 1.5 points to 79.2 in the preliminary January reading and is down 20.6 points from January of last year. The Index of Consumer Expectations fell 0.8 points to 73.8, while the Current Economic Conditions Index fell 3.3 points to 87.7. University of Michigan
Retail sales fell 0.7% in December but were up 2.9% from last year. Core sales — which exclude autos, gasoline, building materials, and food services — decreased 1.9% from the prior month. Census Bureau Report
Business inventories increased 0.5% in November but were down 3.1% from November of last year. Manufacturers’ sales rose 0.7% but were down 1.3% compared to a year ago. Census Bureau Report
Industrial production increased 1.6% in December but is down 3.6% year-over-year. Capacity utilization rose 1.1 points to 74.5%. Fed Report