The U.S. Economic Month at a Glance: April 2012

A snapshot of the U.S. economy for the last six months.

Document Highlights

• The economy generated a lower than anticipated 120,000 jobs in March and the unemployment rate fell to 8.2 per cent.
• Consumer confidence fell to 70.2 from 71.6 in February as the fear of rising gasoline prices offset the positive effect on confidence attributable to improving employment.
• Vehicle sales recorded their strongest gain in four years in the first quarter of this year.