Como se combate o populismo? "Com eleições", responde Fukuyama

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8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. RETAIL SALES UP 6.3% VS. DEC. 2004
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. RETAIL SALES EX-AUTOS, EX-GAS UP 0.1%
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. GASOLINE STATION SALES UP 0.9%
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. AUTO SALES UP 2.6%
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. 2005 RETAIL SALES UP 7.3% VS. 2004
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. NOV. RETAIL SELES REVISED TO UP 0.8% VS. UP 0.3%
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. RETAIL SALES EX-AUTOS UP 0.2% VS. 0.4% EXPECTED
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. RETAIL SALES RISE 0.7% VS. 0.9% EXPECTED

8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. CRUDE GOODS PPI DOWN 2.3%
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. INTERMEDIATE GOODS PPI UP 0.2%
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. PPI ENERGY PRICES UP 3.1%
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. CORE PPI UP 1.7% IN 2005, VS 2.3% RISE IN 2004
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. PPI UP 5.4% IN 2005, LARGEST SINCE 1990
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. CORE PPI UP 0.1%, VS. 0.2% EXPECTED
8:30am 01/13/06 U.S. DEC. PPI UP 0.9% VS. RISE 0.5% EXPECTED


ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. retail sales rise 0.7% on autos
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:30 AM ET Jan. 13, 2006

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Retail sales increased a seasonally adjusted 0.7% in December as auto and gasoline sales strengthened, the Commerce Department said Friday.

Excluding the 2.6% gain in auto sales, seasonally adjusted retail sales rose 0.2% in December.

Sales in October and November were revised higher by a cumulative 0.4%. November's sales increased 0.8%, the department said.

Taking the revisions into account, retail sales were slightly stronger than the 0.9% gain expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. Retail sales excluding autos were weaker than the 0.4% expected.

Retail sales increased 0.6% in the fourth quarter.

Sales in December were up 6.3% from December 2004.

For all of 2005, sales increased 7.3%, down from a 7.6% gain in 2004. The figures are not adjusted for price changes.

The mixed report is likely to have only a tiny impact on deliberations by the Federal Open Market Committee later this month. The FOMC is expected to boost rates for a 14th straight meeting, to bring the federal funds rate to 4.50%.

In the longer term, however, the strength of consumer spending is critical to the Fed. Along with inflation, the key issue for the Fed in the next few months is whether consumer spending can continue to pace the economy in the face of rising interest rates, higher debt loads and a slowing housing sector.

Consumer spending weakened considerably in the fourth quarter as auto sales fell. Final figures released in two weeks are expected to show the weakest quarter for consumer spending in a decade.

Gasoline station sales increased 0.9% in December despite declining prices. Excluding both autos and gasoline, retail sales increased 0.1% in December, the weakest since July.

Sales of durable goods were weak, outside of autos. Sales at building materials stores fell 0.6% after several months of strength following the hurricanes. Sales at furniture and electronics stores dropped 0.1%.

Sales of nondurable goods were mixed.

Sales at general merchandise stores fell 0.3%, including a 1.5% drop at department stores.

Sales at clothing stores were flat. Sales at leisure-time goods stores, such as music, books and sporting goods, rose 1.5%.

Sales at food stores rose 0.4%. Sales at restaurants and bars gained 0.5%.

Sales at health-care stores increased 0.3%.

Sales at nonstore retailers, such as catalog and online stores, increased 0.5%.



ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. PPI for Dec up 0.9% on energy; Wholesale prices up 5.4% in 2005, biggest gain since 1990
By Greg Robb, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:30 AM ET Jan. 13, 2006

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. prices of raw materials and other producers' inputs jumped 0.9% in December, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

This is the largest gain since September.

However, excluding food and energy costs, the core PPI rose a modest 0.1%.

Economists were expecting the December PPI to rise 0.5% and the core rate to rise 0.2%.

The PPI fell 0.7% in November, while the core PPI had risen 0.1%.

For all of 2005, the PPI has risen 5.4% the largest calendar year increase since 1990.

However, the core rate moderated in 2005, rising 1.7% in 2005 after a 2.3% gain in 2004.

Further back in the production cycle, crude goods prices fell 2.3% in December the largest drop since May.

Price pressures moderated further back in the production pipeline. Prices for intermediate goods destined for further processing increased 0.2% in December after a 1.2% drop in the previous month.

The core intermediate PPI rose 0.3% in December. Intermediate goods prices are up 8.4% in the past year.

Crude goods prices fell 2.3%, the biggest drop since May. The crude PPI is up 22.1% in the past year.

Energy continued to be the story in December. Finished energy prices rose 3.1% in the month. Most of the upturn was caused by higher gasoline prices, which advanced 12.3% in December after falling 10.7% a month earlier.

Outside of energy, food prices were also strong, rising 0.9% after a 0.7% drop in November.

Capital equipment prices also contributed to higher prices, rising 0.1% in December.

In the core PPI, rising prices for drugs, newspapers, tires and books slightly outweighed falling prices for cars and trucks and sporting goods.

Car prices fell 0.2% in December, while light truck prices fell 1.0%.