U.S. consumer spending picked up in March while the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge hit the central bank’s 2% target for the first time in a year, reinforcing the outlook for further interest-rate hikes.

U.S. consumer sentiment exceeded estimates in April on Americans’ increasingly favorable views of their finances, University of Michigan survey data showed April 27.

Orders placed with U.S. factories for business equipment eased unexpectedly last month after a smaller February advance, indicating a more moderate pace of capital spending, a Commerce Department report showed April 26

U.S. filings for unemployment benefits plunged to the lowest level since 1969, mainly reflecting the return of educational service workers in New York state, figures showed April 26.

U.S. new-home sales increased in March to a four- month high, mainly reflecting a surge in the West, and upward revisions to prior months showed stronger first-quarter demand than previously estimated, according to government data released April 24.

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose to a four-month high as buyers, fueled by a solid job market and tax cuts, quickly snapped up the limited number of available properties, National Association of Realtors data showed April 23.

U.S. factory production cooled in March after surging a month earlier, representing a pause in an otherwise strong manufacturing sector, Federal Reserve data showed April 17.

U.S. retail sales rose by more than expected in March in the first gain in four months, suggesting consumer demand regained steam on the back of tax cuts and refunds.

U.S. consumer debt rose in February by the least in five months as credit card balances stalled, indicating Americans’ appetite for borrowing waned further after a fourth- quarter shopping spree.

President Donald Trump argues that he’s getting tough on China’s trade practices to keep domestic manufacturers from dying. One hole in that argument: American factories are coming back to life on their own.