Housing starts are expected to increase at an annual pace of 971,000 units (seasonally adjusted) in tomorrow’s update for March, according to The Capital Spectator’s median point forecast for several econometric estimates. The projection represents a substantially higher level of residential construction vs. February’s data.
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Output in the US industrial sector slumped a hefty 0.6% in March, far more more than expected. The decline marks the third monthly slide in the past four months and the biggest decrease since mid-2012, the Federal Reserve reports. More troubling is the ongoing deceleration in the year-over-year growth rate for industrial output.
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Healthcare stocks remain the top performer among the major equity sectors, based on the trailing 252-trading-day (1 year) period through April 14 via a set of ETF proxies. Meanwhile, energy shares have been trending higher in recent weeks. The question is whether it’s different this time for energy’s rally. Previous revivals over the past year have been brief affairs that fizzled out in this battered corner of the equity space.
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● US Retail sales rise for first time in 5 months, but signs of softness linger | WSJ
● US NFIB small business optimism index fell across the board in March | DMN
● China’s G.D.P. Slows to 7 Percent, the Weakest Rate Since 2009 | NY Times
● Germany’s consumer prices increased for 2nd straight month in March | RTT
● France consumer prices fall For third month | RTT
● India’s Wholesale Prices Fall For Fifth Month | RTT