U.S. Service Sector Expands at a Slower Rate in March: ISM Report
Business activity in the service
sector increased at a slower rate in March 2007, according
to the latest ISM report by the nation's purchasing and supply executives.
The index of business activity in the non-manufacturing sector registered
52.4 in March, down from 54.3 in February. Wall Street was expecting a
reading of 54.7. The index is at its lowest level since April 2003.
Continue reading... "U.S. Service Sector Expands at a Slower Rate in March: ISM Report" »
Home-price increase of 1.3% was the
slowest pace in more than 10 years in the 12 months ending in November,
according to S&P/Case-Shiller
home-price index by MacroMarkets
and Standard & Poor's.
The
Index of Leading Economic Indicators in U.S. increased 0.3% in December,
following a revised flat figure in November and a slight decline in
October, according to the Conference Board. The coincident index increased
0.2% and the lagging index increased 0.9% in December.
U.S.
consumer confidence soared at the start of the new year, as Americans are
feeling much more optimistic about their economic future than they were at
the close of 2006, according the RBC CASH (Consumer Attitudes and Spending
by Household) Index.
Some
88% of American public would support reform to ensure that the Social
Security fund has enough money to provide benefits for all Americans for
the next 50 years, according to a latest survey by Harris Poll.
Here
is a quick summary of the key U.S. economic indicators released today: ISM
Services Index slows; Factory Orders increased; Pending Home Sales eased;
December retail sales rose 3.1%; Auto Sales decline; Challenger layoff
report; and Monsters Online Employment report.
Here
is a quick summary of the key U.S. economic indicators released today: ISM
Manufacturing Index jumped; Construction spending edged down; U.S. chain
store sales increased 0.3% last wee; Mortgage applications rose 3.6% in
December; and ADP employment report shows decline in private sector
employment.
