January 17, 2019 Euro area annual inflation declined for December 2018 to 1.6% relative to 1.9% in November according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The rate twelve months earlier was 1.4%. the European Union on the other hand posted an inflation rate of 1.7% for December 2018, a reduction from the
Date: January 16, 2019 Consumer Price Index – December 2018 The consumer price index for the month of December 2018 recorded a negative inflation rate of 1.0%, following the negligent movement in November 2018, according to The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN). The Consumer Price Index for the month of December fell to 254.7, relative
Date: January 15, 2019 According to the latest report published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, “the EU28 seasonally adjusted current account of the balance of payments recorded a surplus of €38.7 billion (1.0% of GDP) in the third quarter of 2018, down from a surplus of €59.9 billion (1.5% of GDP)
United States: U.S. Will Fail to Release Key Economic Report at Critical Moment The U.S. growth outlook hangs more than ever on American consumers’ resilience amid stock-market swoons and trade-war tensions, but key data on their spending -- the biggest part of the economy -- will be missing due to the government shutdown. Was it
Date: January 14, 2019 The Bureau of Labour Statistics reported that, “the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) declined 0.1 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis after being unchanged in November. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.9 percent before seasonal adjustment.” The report mentioned that in
Date: January 11, 2019 The Bureau of Labour Statistics reported that, “the number of job openings fell to 6.9 million on the last business day of November.” In addition, “over the month, hires edged down to 5.7 million, quits edged down to 3.4 million, and total separations were little changed at 5.5 million,” the BLS
Date: January 10, 2019 Brent Oil Brent oil prices increased by 9.12% or US$5.10, as prices climbed this week relative to the prior week. Oil traded on January 10, 2019 at a price of US$61.05 per barrel relative to US$55.95 on January 3, 2019. Brent oil began the year at US$53.80 per barrel. Petrojam prices
Date: January 09, 2019 According to the latest report published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, “the euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.9% in November 2018, down from 8.0% in October 2018 and from 8.7% in November 2017.” Notably, since the start of the EU monthly unemployment series in January
Date: January 8, 2018 Jamaica’s Net International Reserves (NIR) totaled US$3,005.41 million as at December 2018, reflecting an increase of US$106.35 million relative to the US$2,899.06 million reported as at the end of November 2018 (see figure 1). Changes in the NIR resulted from an increase in Foreign Assets of US$106.91 million to total US$3,532.04 million
Date: January 07, 2019 According to the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), “Growth in credit availability, as measured by the Credit Supply Index (CSI), moderated when compared to the previous quarter.” It was further indicated that, “the CSI moderated to 101.4 from 102.2 in the previous quarter and reflected a decline in credit supply to individuals
