Economic indicators

A key measure of underlying U.S. inflation unexpectedly eased in February amid falling prices for autos and prescription drugs.

Consumers’ inflation expectations fell, according to the February Survey of Consumer Expectations, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday.

The value of business inventories in December was up 0.6% from November as expected.

The Conference Board's Employment Trends Index (ETI) climbed to 111.15 in February from a downwardly revised 109.34 in January.

U.S. retail sales stabilized in January after a plunge the prior month that was larger than first reported.

U.S. new-home construction rebounded by more than expected in January amid strength in single-family starts and a nine-month high for permits, signaling the market is stabilizing thanks to lower mortgage rates.

U.S. hiring was the weakest in more than a year while wage gains were the fastest of the expansion and the unemployment rate fell.

Consumer credit increased by $17.0 billion in January to $4.035 trillion.

The level of initial claims fell by 3,000 to 223,000 in the March 2 week, just below expectations for a 225,000 reading, data released Thursday showed.

Productivity gains in the U.S. last quarter exceeded forecasts though were little changed from the prior reading as output and hours worked both cooled.