U.S. import prices increased 2.2 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, after rising 2.6 percent the previous month. Higher fuel and nonfuel prices contributed to the advances in each month. Prices for U.S. exports increased 1.1 percent in April following a 1.5 percent advance the previous month.
The OECD area unemployment rate of 8.2% in March 2011 was unchanged from February following three consecutive monthly decreases. The Euro area unemployment rate was also stable at 9.9%.
Fiserv, Inc. released an analysis of home price trends in more than 375 U.S. markets based on the Fiserv® Case-Shiller Indexes®. The indexes are owned and generated by Fiserv, the leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, and data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).
In the fourth quarter of 2010, the annual growth rate of net disposable income in the euro area remained broadly unchanged at 3.1%, compared with 3.0% in the third quarter of 2010. The annual growth rate of final consumption in the euro area decreased to 2.5% in the fourth quarter (2010q3: 2.7%). Gross fixed capital formation increased by 2.8% in the fourth quarter of 2010, compared with 2.1% in the previous quarter.
The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) declined 0.6 percent in April to 100.5, down from March’s revised figure of 101.1. This is the largest monthly decline since April 2009. The April figure is up 6 percent from a year ago.
Composite leading indicators (CLIs), designed to anticipate turning points in economic activity relative to trend, are pointing to some divergence in the pace of economic activity across major economies. Compared with last month’s assessment, this month’s CLIs point to a slower or stable pace of expansion in most EU countries and continued expansion in North America, China and Russia.
The Italian economy is continuing to recover from the very deep recession that it shared with most OECD countries, but more can be done to boost resilience, according to a new OECD report. A combination of well-targeted macroeconomic and structural policies would help achieve sustained growth, as well as contribute to fiscal consolidation, it adds.
New consumer research released demonstrates the market potential in North America for biobased and “green” household products with environmental benefits. The Genencor Household Sustainability Index found that four in ten American consumers and about a third of Canadian consumers already have heard of the term “biobased” to describe products or product ingredients used in cleaning and personal care products, clothing, and fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
Home values in the United States fell faster in the first quarter of 2011 than they have in any quarter since 2008, when the housing market experienced its worst performance, according to Zillow's first quarter Real Estate Market Reports. The Zillow Home Value Index fell 3 percent from the fourth quarter of 2010 to the first quarter of 2011, and declined 8.2 percent year-over-year to $169,600. Home values have fallen 29.5 percent since they peaked in June 2006.
Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 244,000 in April, and the unemployment rate edged up to 9.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Job gains occurred in several service - providing industries, manufacturing, and mining.
