Economic Indicators

Rhode Island’s gasoline dropped 3 cents this week, the fifth week of declines after five consecutive weeks of increases, according to AAA Southern New England. 10:55 am

New England’s unemployment rate remained essentially unchanged in April, dropping to 6.9 percent compared with 7 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics announced Friday. May 18

Oil headed for a third weekly drop in New York after Germany’s finance minister said Europe’s crisis may last another two years and reports added to evidence of a slowdown in China. May 18

Foreclosure filings in the Providence–New Bedford–Fall River area declined 29 percent in April compared with the same period in 2011, RealtyTrac said Thursday. May 17

Industrial production in the U.S. climbed more than forecast in April, propelled by gains in auto manufacturing and utility use. May 16

Consumers in the Northeast paid 2.5 percent more for commodities in March 2012 than they did a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. May 15

Flawed data put out by the R.I. Department of Labor and Training understated employment gains and overstated the state’s unemployment, according to University of Rhode Island economist Leonard Lardaro’s Current Conditions Index. May 14

BOSTON – Treasurer Steven Grossman said that the Mass. State Lottery’s projected profit for 2012 has increased to $947 million following strong sales for the first 10 months of the fiscal year, positioning the lottery to surpass the past record of $951 million in profit set in 2006. May 12

U.S. equities rose, trimming a weekly loss, as an unexpected increase in consumer confidence and rally in technology shares overshadowed JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s $2 billion trading loss. May 11

A new economic forecast predicted that the Ocean State will take in $62 million more in revenue than expected this year, according to The Associated Press. May 11