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July 20, 2012

Data shows slowing recovery

Sluggish home buying, factory production a factor

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A raft of economic news Thursday sketched a picture of a weakening U.S. economy held back by sluggish home buying and factory production.

Americans bought fewer homes in June than in May. Manufacturing in the Federal Reserve's Philadelphia region contracted for a third straight month this month. And a gauge of future U.S. economic activity fell in June.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose 34,000 last week. Normally, that would signal an increase in layoffs. But the figure was skewed higher by seasonal factors that made it hard to tell whether the job market might be worsening.

The government tries to adjust its unemployment benefits data to reflect temporary summertime layoffs in the auto industry. But this year, many automakers skipped those shutdowns to keep up with demand. That led to fewer layoffs, which the Labor Department didn't anticipate.

Once those statistical distortions fade, Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR Inc., wrote in a note to clients, "we suspect that the data will point to a soggy labor market." The economy is struggling to generate enough growth to boost hiring and consumer spending from subpar levels.

Job growth slowed to 75,000 a month from April through June, down from healthy 226,000 pace in the first three months of the year. Unemployment is stuck at 8.2 percent.

On Wednesday, a survey by the Fed said hiring was "tepid" in most of its districts in June and early July. And manufacturing weakened in most regions.

Retail sales fell in June for the third straight month, the government said this week. That led many economists to downgrade their estimates for growth in the April-June quarter. Many think it will be even slower than the first quarter's scant 1.9 percent annual pace.

The few pieces of good economic news lately have been confined mainly to housing. On Wednesday, for example, the government said builders broke ground last month on the most homes in nearly four years.

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