Latest News Updates From Reade Pickert

The U.S. manufacturing downturn deepened in January, fueled by a further pullback in orders and factory production.

U.S. producer prices dropped in December by the most since the start of the pandemic, extending a monthslong pullback in inflationary pressures and giving the Federal Reserve room to slow the pace of interest-rate hikes.

Data released Jan. 5 reinforced the strength of the labor market, with hiring at U.S. companies far exceeding expectations and applications for jobless benefits falling to a three-month low.

U.S. manufacturing activity contracted for a second month in December, capping the steepest annual slide in the key factory gauge since 2008 and helping to further tame price pressures.

U.S. homebuilder sentiment fell every month in 2022, sinking in December to a level not seen in more than a decade outside of the pandemic amid elevated mortgage rates and high construction costs.

Employers added more jobs than forecast and wages surged by the most in nearly a year, pointing to enduring inflation pressures that boost chances of higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve.

Orders placed with U.S. factories for business equipment rebounded in October, suggesting capital spending plans are holding up in the face of higher borrowing costs and broader economic uncertainty.

U.S. inflation cooled in October by more than forecast, offering hope that the fastest price increases in decades are ebbing and giving Federal Reserve officials room to slow down their steep interest rate hikes.

U.S. manufacturers expect to reduce capital spending in 2020, a trend that could limit a rebound in the sector even as companies see profits improving.

As a tight labor market makes filling positions more difficult, 26% of U.S. small-business owners plan to increase pay in coming months, the most since a record in 1989, according to a National Federation of Independent Business report out Dec. 5.