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From the Desk

This daily newsletter conveniently delivers financial and economic commentary from around the globe, daily market rates and Bank announcements right to your inbox.

Recent Economic Commentary

Brandon Casey, Member Strategies - 8/15/2025

U.S. stocks opened higher Friday but have since turned negative. Both the DJIA and S&P 500 reached new record highs this morning. Despite hotter than expected wholesale inflation, stocks are on track to post solid weekly gains.

Looking at economic data today, retail sales rose 0.5% in July, matching expectations. The previous report was revised to 0.9%, up from 0.6% in the initial estimate. The control group of sales, which most closely resembles personal spending in GDP, was also up 0.5% for the month.

Elsewhere, import prices rose 0.4% in July but were down 0.2% over the last year. Import prices were down 0.5% annually in June. Excluding fuel and food, core import prices rose 0.3% in July and 0.8% over the last year. Export prices rose 0.1% for the month and 2.2% over the last year.

Lastly, industrial production fell 0.1% in July, versus expectations of remaining unchanged for the month. Manufacturing output was unchanged for the month. Capacity utilization edged lower to 77.5%.

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