| Today's Economy
Economic Roundup: U.S. Initial Claims Head in Wrong Direction New filings increased but weather may have pushed them higher. Final Thoughts Ahead of February Employment After a bad couple of months, employment likely rose 280,000 in February. LatAm Daily Briefing: Brazil's Impressive Recovery The rebound was led by industry and services, particularly manufacturing activities highly oriented to exports. Europe Daily Briefing: Euro zone Unemployment Stable, for Now The steady reading masks weak foundations in the labor market. » VIEW MORE TODAY'S ECONOMY
Commentary
U.S. Risk Matrix Update: Taking the Measure of Inflation We assess the odds of inflation temporarily exceeding the Fed’s 2% objective. A Taxing Year for Big Cities, College Towns and Tourism Hubs U.S. county-level tax data underscore stark intrastate divides and highlight broad themes. China Keeps Close Eye on Rising Debt Government debt soared 23% last year. Consequences of Vaccination Delays in APAC A slow pace could lead to continued interruptions of business travel. » VIEW MORE COMMENTARY
Today's Economic Indicators
Japan
Consumer Confidence
Feb. 2021: 33.8
Japan's consumer confidence index rebounded to the highest level since its nosedive to 21.6 in April 2020. Malaysia
Monetary policy
Mar. 2021: 1.75%
Bank Negara Malaysia maintained its overnight policy rate at 1.75% in its March meeting, as expected. Austria
Retail Sales
Jan. 2021: -34.8%
Retail sales hit a wall in January. Euro Zone
Retail Sales
Jan. 2021: -5.9%
Retail sales excluding motor vehicles took a beating in January, falling by 5.9% m/m after a downwardly revised gain of 1.8% in December. Euro Zone
Unemployment
Jan. 2021: 8.1%
The euro zone’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.1% in January. United States
Challenger Report
Feb. 2021: 34,531
Job cut announcements declined sharply last month, falling from nearly 80,000 in January to fewer than 35,000 in February. United States
Jobless Claims
February 27: 745,000
U.S. initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits remain extremely high, but a noticeable improvement will likely occur in the second half of this year, when the economy begins to take off. United States
Productivity and Costs
2020Q4: -4.2%, q/q, SAAR
U.S. productivity is now shown to have fallen 4.2% at an annualized rate in the fourth quarter of last year, compared with a 4.8% drop in the advance estimate. United States
Moody's Analytics Beige Book Index
Mar. 2021: 75.0
The Moody’s Analytics Beige Book Index remained fairly stable, edging down from 77.8 in January to 75 in March. Netherlands
Consumer Price Index
Feb. 2021: 1.8% y/y
Inflation rose to 1.8% in February from 1.6% in January. United States
Factory Orders (M3)
Jan. 2021: 2.6% m/m
Factory orders charged forward by 2.6% in January, though transportation equipment powered much of the monthly increase. United States
St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index
February 26: -0.59
The St. United States
Natural Gas Storage Report
February 26: -98 bil cubic feet
Last week’s decline in natural gas stocks fell short of analyst predictions, suggesting that this report will put some downward pressure on gas prices. Belgium
Unemployment
Jan. 2021: 5.6%
Belgium’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.6% in January. United States
Moody's Analytics Used Vehicle Price Indexes
Feb. 2021: 17.2%
U.S. wholesale used-vehicle price appreciation rose in February. Argentina
Industrial Production - Advance
Jan. 2021: 4.4%
Industrial output increased 4.4% y/y in January (NSA) after rising 5% in the previous month. United States
Semiconductor Billings
Jan. 2021: 2.2%
Semiconductor billings increased 2.2% to begin the new year, more than offsetting the 2% decline experienced in December. » VIEW MORE ECONOMIC INDICATORS | 
