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February 26 is National Pistachio Day, making these White Chocolate Pistachio Cookies a perfect way to commemorate the occasion. This recipe yields 24 cookies. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat together 1 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup white […]

Initial Jobless Claims increased by 5,000, totaling 219,000. Continuing Jobless Claims also rose by 24,000 to 1.869 million, remaining above 1.8 million for the thirty-seventh consecutive week. What’s the bottom line? The latest data suggests that while layoffs remain low, the labor market continues to encounter difficulties in promptly reintegrating job seekers. Additionally, as many […]

Housing Starts declined by nearly 10% from December to January, with decreases seen in both single-family and multifamily construction. However, the December housing data reflected one of the strongest levels of activity in 2024, providing important context for the January decline. Meanwhile, Building Permits, a leading indicator, rose slightly to start the year. What’s the […]

Home builder sentiment took a hit in February, with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reporting a drop in their confidence index from 47 in January to 42. This figure is now well below the neutral benchmark of 50, signaling contraction. All three components of the index – buyer traffic, current sales and future […]

In January, existing home closings decreased 4.9% from December to a 4.08 million-unit annualized pace, slightly missing projections. However, sales have risen year-over-year for four consecutive months, and inventory saw a modest uptick. What’s the bottom line? This was a strong January report, considering it measured home shopping from November and December when rates were […]

Perfect for National Cherry Month, these Dried Cherry Scones from the Food Network yield 8 delicious treats. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a baking sheet. In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut in 1/3 cup of chilled, cubed butter using […]

Initial Jobless Claims decreased modestly by 7,000, bringing the total to 213,000. Continuing Jobless Claims also fell by 36,000to 1.85 million but remain elevated above 1.8 million for the thirty-sixth consecutive week. What’s the bottom line? Overall, the data indicates that the unemployment situation remains unchanged, with layoffs contained but the labor market still facing […]

Following robust spending at the close of 2024, Retail Sales fell by 0.9% in January, significantly underperforming the -0.1%forecasts. The control group reading, which excludes autos, gasoline, building materials, and food services, also dropped by0.8%. These figures represent the largest monthly decrease in two years, with spending declines observed in nine of the report’s13 categories. […]

In his Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress, Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged that while “inflation has eased significantly over the past two years, it remains somewhat elevated relative to our 2 percent longer-run goal.” He emphasized that the Fed does “not need to be in a hurry” to initiate further rate cuts. What’s the […]

The Producer Price Index (PPI), which assesses wholesale price changes, increased by 0.4% in January from December, surpassing expectations, while the annual rate held steady at 3.5%. Excluding the volatile food and energy sectors, the Core PPI rose by 0.3% month-over-month, with the year-over-year rate slightly declining from 3.7% to 3.6%. Notably, December’s figures were […]

  Inflation exceeded expectations in January, driven by increased costs in food (notably eggs), energy, shelter, used vehicles and motor vehicle insurance. The headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.5% month-over-month and 3% year-over-year. When excluding food and energy, the Core CPI increased by 0.4% month-over-month and 3.3% year-over-year. What’s the bottom line? The […]

These decadent Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Food Network are the perfect treat for National Chocolate Month. This recipe yields 3 dozen cookies. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the cookie sheets. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda. In a […]

Home prices nationwide increased modestly in December: CoreLogic reported a 0.03% rise and a 3.4% annual increase, whileICE noted a 0.2% rise and the same 3.4% yearly growth. CoreLogic expects a 0.2% decline in January and 4.1% appreciation for the year ahead, up from previous forecasts of 3.8% and2.4%. This upward revision is noteworthy given […]

While Initial Jobless Claims rose modestly by 11,000 to 219,000, the more concerning trend remains the sustained increase in Continuing Jobless Claims. These claims grew by 36,000 to 1.886 million and have exceeded 1.8 million each week since early June. What’s the bottom line? New unemployment claims remain at historically low levels, but the persistent […]

Job openings declined sharply in December, falling from 8.156 million in November to 7.6 million, well below forecasts and near afour-year low. The drop was particularly pronounced in sectors like finance, professional services, healthcare and construction. Both the hiring rate of 3.4% and quits rate of 2% approached their lowest levels in over a decade, […]