27 May 2011 Stormy Spring Slows Recovery
Posted at 14:40h
in The Friday Brief
There were a few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy week for economic data. New home sales in April jumped over 7% and drew down new-home supply to 6.5 months. Corporate profits were up an annualized 25.6% for the first quarter. And personal income rose 0.5% in March as wages and salaries rose a modest 0.3%. But, from there the news was less encouraging. The government’s second estimate of economic growth for first quarter GDP was no higher than it’s initial estimate of only 1.8% annualized. Initial jobless claims rose 10,000 last week to a 424,000 level. And on the manufacturing front, damage from interrupted Japanese supply lines began to show in the numbers.