The American macroeconomic sphere provided us a range of interesting economic data yesterday. At first It was the procurement manager's index for the U.S. Service sector, which, according to an ISM announcement, rose in January to a level of 59.4 points from December's 57.1. The economists predicted a more moderate climb of the index, to a level of 57.3 points.
The United States Department of Commerce announced yesterday that orders from factories in the United States rose by 0.2% in December, while analysts had predicted a 0.4% decline in the amount of orders. Furthermore, the Department announced that work productivity in the United States rose in the fourth quarter of 2010 at an annualized rate of 2.6% as compared to a rise of 2.4% in the previous quarter. This rise was sharper than predicted by economists, who predicted a mere 2% climb.
The Department of Commerce announced further that the amount of new unemployment claims in the United States declined by 42 thousand last week, reaching a total of 415 thousand. Economist expected a more moderate decline to 420 thousand new unemployment claims.
