Earlier today, the Labor Department released the New Unemployment Insurance Claims report for the week that ended on August 9, 2008:

Predicted: 440,000
Actual: 450,000

The above figures represent the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits for the entire United States. The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

Click here to view the full Labor Department report.

Earlier this morning, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July 2008:

Predicted: +0.4%
Actual: +0.8%

Below is the CPI when food and energy are subtracted from the equation, also known as the "core CPI":

Predicted: +0.2%
Actual: +0.3%

The above numbers represent the seasonally adjusted, month-to-month change in prices for a specific group of goods and services that consumers buy, and is, therefore, a very important part of the overall inflation picture for the country.

The "predicted" figure is what economists ...

The Commerce Department this morning released advanced estimates of U.S. Retail and Food Services Sales for July 2008:

Predicted: 0.0%
Actual: -0.1%

Minus Auto Sales
Predicted: +0.5%
Actual : +0.4%


The above percentages represent the month-to-month change in total sales receipts for retailers that sell durable & non-durable goods, and retailers that provide food & beverage services.

• Change from 12 months previous: +2.6%.
  
  

The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

Click here ...

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning released the price indexes for U.S. imports and exports for July 2008:

Import Prices
Predicted: +1.0%
Actual: +1.7%

Export Prices
Actual: +1.4%

The above percentages represent the month-to-month change in prices for

• Imports: the cost of goods produced in other countries and sold in the U.S.
  
  
• Exports: the cost of goods produced in the U.S. and sold in other countries.
  

Together, these indexes offer insight into the status of inflation in the United ...

All 3 major indexes advanced on the week as crude oil for future delivery dropped $9.90 (7.914%) since last Friday, and the dollar gained considerable strength against the euro. New York Spot Gold got cheaper, closing at $855.50 per ounce. The Fed opted to leave short-term interest rates alone on Tuesday.