Economic News

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index Improves…

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) for February, as reported in the April issue of Trucking Update, improved to 11.23 up from the January 10.37 reading. The February TCI was t...

Real Average Hourly Earnings for…

Real average hourly earnings for all employees decreased 0.8 percent from February to March, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result st...

CPI for all Items Rises…

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6% in March on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.4% in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics r...

Final Demand Producer Prices up…

The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 4.2% for the 12 months ended in March 2021. Prices for final demand goods increased 7.0% over this 12-month period. Final demand...

Import Prices Increase 1.2 Percent…

Prices for U.S. imports rose 1.2% in March, after increasing 1.3% the previous month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Higher fuel and nonfuel prices contributed...

Multifactor Productivity Down 1.7 Percent…

Private nonfarm business sector multifactor productivity decreased 1.7% in 2020, the largest decline since the Great Recession period of 2007–2009. This 2020 decrease reflects a ...

Pending Home Sales Slip 10.6%…

Pending home sales dipped for a second straight month in February, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Each of the four major U.S. regions witnessed month-over-mon...

Chicago Business Barometer™ – Expanded…

The Chicago Business BarometerTM, produced with MNI, rose to 66.3 in March, the highest level since July 2018. Through Q1 the index gained 4.4 points to 63.2, the strongest reading...

Can an Employer Fire Workers…

More employers are requiring employees to return to the office. If employees refuse, can they be disciplined or terminated? According to legal experts, if the employee is just gene...