U.S. PCE inflation likely to have accelerated year-on-year in March

Apr 27, 2018 21:05 pm UTC| Commentary

U.S. personal income and spending data for March is set to be released next week. According to a TD Economics research report, the headline PCE inflation is likely to have accelerated to 2 percent year-on-year, reflecting...

Michigan consumer sentiment index falls slightly in April, trade spat likely to drag on sentiment in near term

Apr 27, 2018 21:02 pm UTC| Commentary

U.S. Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index dropped in the month of April. The index fell 2.6 points in the month, although the full month data came in a full point higher than the early month reading. Consumers assessment of...

U.S. Employment Cost Index rises above expectations in Q1, wage growth momentum to pick up further

Apr 27, 2018 19:44 pm UTC| Commentary

The U.S. Employment Cost Index rose in the first quarter, coming in above expectations. The index rose 0.8 percent sequentially, while it rose 2.7 percent year-on-year. The headline ECI implies that labor compensation...

U.S. economy expands better than expected in Q1 2018

Apr 27, 2018 18:26 pm UTC| Commentary

The U.S. economy expanded better than expected at the beginning of this year. The advanced estimate showed that the American economy grew 2.3 percent in the March quarter. The outturn sounds quite modest, but residual...

Swedish wage growth continues to be weak at start of 2018

Apr 27, 2018 17:22 pm UTC| Commentary

Swedish wage growth continued to be weak at the beginning of this year in spite of a tight labor market. According to the Swedish Mediation Office, the hourly wages rose 2.6 percent year-on-year in January and February and...

Central Bank of Russia keeps key interest rate on hold at 7.25 pct

Apr 27, 2018 16:12 pm UTC| Commentary Central Banks

The Central Bank of Russia maintained its key interest rate at 7.25 percent today. While this was an expected move, the majority of market participants had expected a 25-basis point cut just one month ago, before the new...

Swedish retail sales grow above expectations in March

Apr 27, 2018 14:22 pm UTC| Commentary

Swedish retail sales grew sequentially in March. Sales rose 1.2 percent on the month, whereas it grew 2.9 percent year-on-year. This is slightly above expectations. On average, retail sales have risen 1.5 percent...