Economic indicators

The pace of housing starts rose by 8.3% to a 1.215 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in June, well above expectations for a rebound to a 1.150 million pace, data reported by the Commerce Department Wednesday morning showed.

Builders’ confidence in the market for new single-family homes slipped as the National Association of Home Builders' housing market index fell to 64 in July from a downwardly revised 66 in June.

U.S. import prices fell by 0.2% in June on a significant drop in fuel prices and industrial supplies and materials, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Tuesday.

The New York region's service sector activity" showed little change," according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's July Business Leaders Survey, released Tuesday.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey showed "business activity grew modestly in New York State," the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Monday.

The value of business inventories rose 0.3% in May, while business sales were down 0.2%, a Commerce Department report Friday showed.

The University of Michigan's preliminary July consumer sentiment index reading was 93.1, compared to the final June 95.1, and the preliminary June 94.5, according to market sources.

Industrial production was up 0.4% in June, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.

Retail sales undershot again in June, in the minus column with a 0.2% decline.

The consumer price index Consumer Price Index came in flat, as expected, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

The federal government ran an $90.2 billion deficit in June, the Treasury Department reported Thursday.

Initial claims for U.S. state unemployment benefits fell by 3,000 to 247,000 in the July 8 week, about what was expected.

Business inflation ended up on the barely positive side in June as food prices — mostly for holiday boosted meats — counterbalanced the drop in gasoline.

All 12 Federal Reserve Districts saw economic growth in June, the Beige Book, released Wednesday indicated.

Labor market “activity decreased and momentum remained high in June,” as the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Labor Market Conditions Indicators (LMCI) dropped to 0.33 in June from 0.50 in May, according to the Bank.

The value of wholesale inventories rose 0.4% in May, an upward adjustment from the 0.3% gain estimated in the advance estimate, while wholesale sales fell 0.5%, their largest decline since July, data released Tuesday by the U.S. Commerce Department showed.

Small business owners’ optimism fell in June, as did hiring plans, according to the National Federation of Independent Business' monthly Small Business Optimism index published Tuesday.

Consumer credit increased by $18.5 billion in May to $3.842 trillion, the Federal Reserve reported Monday.

Consumers’ inflation expectations fell in the short-term, but rose over a longer period, according to the June Survey of Consumer Expectations, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday.

The Federal Reserve’s Labor Market Conditions Index, a compilation of 19 labor market measures, dropped 1.8 points in June to 1.5, following a 0.5-point decline in May.