Subject: Economic data
Number of things:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/mone...

The numbers: The U.S. goods deficit narrowed very sharply in April as foreign orders ground to a halt after President Donald Trump announced sweeping, higher tariffs.

The trade deficit in goods narrowed by 46% to $87.6 billion in April from a record $162.3 billion in March, according to the Commerce Department’s advanced estimate released Friday. That’s the narrowest trade gap since December 2023.

Basically, people loaded up on imported goods in Q1 then stopped orders.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/3...

Economy
Inflation rate slipped to 2.1% in April, lower than expected, Fed’s preferred gauge shows

Consumer spending was down, but incomes were up 0.8%:

The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s key inflation measure, increased just 0.1% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.1%, the lowest of 205. The monthly reading was in line with the Dow Jones consensus forecast while the annual level was 0.1 percentage point lower.

Excluding food and energy, the core reading that tends to get even greater focus from Fed policymakers showed readings of 0.1% and 2.5%, against respective estimates of 0.1% and 2.6%. Central bank officials believe core is a better indicator of longer-term trends.

Consumer spending, though, slowed sharply for the month, posting just a 0.2% increase, in line with the consensus but slower than the 0.7% rate in March. A more cautious consumer mood also was reflected in the personal savings rate, which jumped to 4.9%, up from 0.6 percentage point in March to the highest level in nearly a year.

Personal income surged 0.8%, a slight increase from the prior month but well ahead of the forecast for 0.3%.