Economic indicators

Consumer credit increased by $16.4 billion in March to $3.806 trillion, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.

U.S. inflationary pressures were unchanged in April, according to data released Friday morning by the Economic Cycle Research Institute.

Payrolls rebounded in April a little better than expected but the standout number was the 4.4% unemployment rate, the lowest since May 2001.

The value of new factory orders rose by 0.2% in March, slower than the 0.4% gain expected, data released by the Commerce Department Thursday morning showed.

Nonfarm productivity fell by 0.6% in the preliminary estimate for the first quarter, compared with a 0.2% decline expected.

Initial claims for U.S. state unemployment benefits fell 19,000 to 238,000 in the April 29 week.

The U.S. international trade gap narrowed in March to $43.7 billion, smaller than the $44.4 billion gap expected and following a slightly wider $43.7 billion gap in February, data released by the Commerce Department Thursday morning showed.

About 4,613,600 online job postings appeared on leading internet job boards in April, a decrease of 26,100 from March, the Conference Board reported Wednesday.

The U.S. services sector expanded in April as the non-manufacturing business activity composite index was 57.5 in the month, compared to 55.2 in March, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Institute for Supply Management reported Wednesday.

Private-sector employment increased by 177,000 in April, on a seasonally adjusted basis, ADP estimated Wednesday.

“New York City purchasing managers demonstrated a small but directional shift in perspective in April,” the Institute for Supply Management-New York’s Report on Business index, released Tuesday, indicated.

The overall economy grew for the ninety-fifth straight time, the Institute for Supply Management reported Monday.

Construction spending fell 0.2% in March, with a dip in public building accounting for the decline, data released by the Commerce Department Monday morning showed.

Personal income was up 0.2% in March, while nominal PCE was flat, and the core PCE price index fell 0.1%, data released by the Commerce Department Monday morning showed.

The University of Michigan's final April consumer sentiment index reading was 97.0, compared to the preliminary April 98.0, and the final March 96.9, according to market sources.

The Chicago Business Barometer rose to 58.3 in April from 57.7 in March.

The seasonally adjusted Milwaukee Report on Business declined to 57.87 in April from 61.77 in March, the Institute for Supply Management-Milwaukee reported Friday.

The Employment Cost Index rose 0.8% in the first quarter after rising by only 0.5% in the previous quarter, lifting the year/year rate to 2.4% from 2.2% in the previous quarter.

First quarter GDP growth rose only 0.7% at an annual rate in the advance estimate, a softer reading that the 1.2% gain expected.

The Midwest Economy Index improved to 0.60 in March from 0.28 in February, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said Friday.