Behind the Numbers Archive

Behind the Numbers - Jan 17, 2020
Holidays Were Happy, Indeed - The December retail sales report confirmed the holiday shopping season was as strong as anticipated, regardless of which measure you use. Total sales rose 0.3 percent, non-auto...
Behind the Numbers - Jan 10, 2020
The Glass of Water Measure - The final job report of 2019 was either good or bad, depending on how you view the fullness of your glass. The Labor Department calculated the U.S. added 145,000 jobs in...
Behind the Numbers - Jan 3, 2020
Looking Back to Go Forward - 2019 can be summed up as 12 months bouncing among trade deals and the Fed. The year began with a tariff war between the U.S. and China that appeared to heat up each month....
Behind the Numbers - Dec 20, 2019
Housing Goes Up and Down - The headlines for the two housing reports released this week portray different pictures: sales of existing homes fell 1.7 percent, while housing starts rose 3.2 percent. The story...
Behind the Numbers - Dec 13, 2019
Even the Bulls Hibernate - The Federal Reserve confirmed what we were already expecting – the committee is finished adjusting the target fed funds rate. The surprise came in how long they expect to...