A Mixed bag of Fundamentals.
Consumer Price Index (June 2014)
– CPI month/month +0.3%. Previous was +0.4%
– CPI year/year +2.1%. Previous was +2.1%
– CPI core (less food & energy) month/month +0.1%. Previous was +0.3%
– CPI core (less food & energy) year/year +1.9%. Previous was 1.9%.
This shows contained inflation. It remains to be seem what the net effect of QE is on inflation.
ICSC-Goldman Chain Store Sales (week ended 7/19/2014)
– Store Sales week/week -0.4%. Previous was +0.1%
– Store Sales year/year +2.8%. Previous was +4.5%
Redbook Chain Store Sales (week ended 7/19/2014)
– Store Sales year/year +3.7%. Previous was +4.1%
FHFA House Price Index (May 2014)
– Prices month/month +0.4%. Previous was +0.1%
– Prices year/year +5.5%. Previous was +6.1%.
I have always been out of step with people in the housing and home loan business because I see home prices increasing much above 2% as a negative. Housing expense eats too much of people’s income leaving them with less disposable income and hurting the rest of the economy.
Existing Home Sales (June 2014)
– Existing Home Sales (seasonally adjusted, annualized) 5,040,000. Previous was 4,890,000
– Existing Home Sales month/month +2.6%. Previous was +4.9%
– Existing Home Sales year/year -2.3%. Previous was -5.0%.
This is another of those “better than last month. Worse than last year” fundamentals.
Richmond Federal Reserve Manufacturing Index (July 2014)
– index level 7. Previous was 3.
This is a survey index of manufacturers in the district covered by the Richmond Federal Reserve.