Economic indicators

The federal government ran a $214.3 billion surplus in April, the Treasury Department reported Thursday.

Initial claims for U.S. state unemployment benefits held steady at 211,000 in the May 5 week.

U.S. consumer prices rose by less than forecast in April as costs for automobiles and airfares declined, reducing chances that inflation will run significantly above the Federal Reserve’s target in coming months.

March wholesale inventories rose by 0.3% in March, revised down from the 0.5% rise reported in the advance estimate.

Final demand PPI rose by 0.1% in April, slower than the 0.2% gain expected, with an as-expected 0.2% gain outside of food and energy prices.

Small business optimism gained in April on improved profits, the National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday.

California passed the United Kingdom in 2017 to become the fifth-largest economy in the world, according to federal data.

Consumer credit increased by $11.6 billion in March to $3.875 trillion, the Federal Reserve reported Monday.

The Conference Board's Employment Trends Index (ETI) rose to 108.08 in April from a downwardly revised 107.37 in March.

U.S. hiring rebounded in April and the unemployment rate dropped below 4% for the first time since 2000, while wage gains unexpectedly cooled, suggesting the labor market still has slack to absorb.

The value of new factory orders saw a 1.6% increase in March, up seven of the last eight months.

The U.S. services sector expanded at a slower pace in April as the non-manufacturing index fell to 56.8 from 58.8 in March.

The U.S. international trade gap narrowed to $49.0 billion in March from $57.7 billion in February, data released by the Commerce Department Thursday morning showed.

First quarter nonfarm productivity rose by 0.7%, a slightly smaller gain than the 0.9% rise expected.

Initial claims U.S. state unemployment benefits rose by only 2,000 to 211,000 in the April 28 week, well below the 225,000 level expected by analysts.

The New York economy continues to expand.

Private-sector employment increased by 204,000 in April, on a seasonally adjusted basis, ADP estimated Wednesday.

Texas service sector activity “continued to increase in April, albeit at a slower pace than last month.”

Construction spending fell dramatically by 1.7% in March, much lower than the expected 0.5% gain.

The overall economy grew for the 108th straight time, the Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday.