Research Center

The Consumer Price Index posts its smallest increase since November; homebuilding sentiment is gloomy; and overseas visits to the U.S. increased in the first quarter.

Lack of auto sales pushed retail sales down in May; gas pushes up wholesale prices; and there may be hope for the labor market.

Economists are less optimistic than two months ago; Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness proposes various government actions; and S&P downgrades Greek debt.

The IMF’s computer systems have been hacked; a McKinsey Global Institute report outlines the immensity of the task of restoring the labor market; and the cost of TARP has shrunk more than expected.

A Fed report shows a jump in U.S. household wealth during the first quarter of 2011; Treasury looks to punish three big banks for substandard performance in participating in HAMP; and the Fed is now the top U.S. creditor.

The Federal Reserve releases its latest Beige Book on the ups and downs of the U.S. economy; oil prices spike after a disorganized meeting of OPEC; and rating agencies encourage Congress to take default seriously.

With the recovery still fragile, Fed Chairman Bernanke says that drastic federal budget cuts could have damaging effects; job openings have been flat; and consumer borrowing saw an uptick in April.

In more unsettling employment news, the Conference Board said on Monday that its Employment Trends Index declined for the second month in a row in May to 99.7, down from April’s revised figure of 100.1. On the other hand, the May figure is still up 5.3 percent from a year ago.

Anemic hiring in May meant, essentially, that it was more of the same for the economy during the month. That is, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a lot of labor indicators were “essentially unchanged”–unchanged from crummy, unfortunately.