Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer declined by -0.2%
|
For the week ending July 13th 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer declined slightly by 0.2 percent for the first time in four weeks. This is mainly due to broadly decreased production indexes including a big dip in Lumber Production, which cancelled out an increase in the prior week. Auto and Truck Production dropped by more than 6 percent as the plants close this time every year for retooling. Meanwhile, Electric Output surged by 11.2 percent following a 7.7 percent decrease a week ago. Consumption indexes showed a small increase with a decline in Chain Store Sales more than offset by gains in Railroad Freight Carloadings and Box Office Receipts.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer showed an increase of 0.7 percent, the biggest gain since June 1, which compares to an average -3.3 percent decline over the Great Recession (determined to have ended in June 2009 according to the NBER). After flatlining in 2006, and declining from 2007 through 2009, the barometer bounced back in 2010 to rise by 3.4 percent, which was the strongest increase since 1994 (+4.0 percent), but not so impressive when compared to an -8.0 percent drop in 2009. The rate of increase for the 2012 slightly slowed to 1.4 percent following 2.2 percent in 2011.
The smoothed version of the barometer, which attempts to account for weekly volatility, increased by 0.1 percent. Its year-over-year growth rate was 0.4 percent.
Posted: July 25, 2013 Thursday 10:00 AM