Research >> Economics
Chicago Fed National Activity Slightly Improved in June
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Led by improvements in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) increased to –0.13 in June from –0.29 in May. Two of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index increased from May, and two of the four categories made positive contributions to the index in June.
The index’s three-month moving average, CFNAI-MA3, increased to –0.26 in June from –0.37 in May, marking its fourth consecutive reading below zero. June’s CFNAI-MA3 suggests that growth in national economic activity was below its historical trend. The economic growth reflected in this level of the CFNAI-MA3 suggests subdued inflationary pressure from economic activity over the coming year.
The CFNAI Diffusion Index increased to –0.03 in June from –0.19 in May. Forty-one of the 85 individual indicators made positive contributions to the CFNAI in June, while 44 made negative contributions. Forty-two indicators improved from May to June, while 41 indicators deteriorated and two were unchanged. Of the indicators that improved, 13 made negative contributions.
Production-related indicators contributed +0.04 to the CFNAI in June, up from –0.12 in May. Industrial production increased 0.3 percent in June after no change in May. Manufacturing production increased 0.3 percent in June after rising 0.2 percent in the previous month, and manufacturing capacity utilization edged up to 76.1 percent in June.
Employment-related indicators contributed +0.06 to the CFNAI in June, up from a neutral reading in May. The unemployment rate remained at 7.6 percent in June, and nonfarm payrolls increased by 195,000 for the second straight month.
The contribution from the consumption and housing category to the CFNAI decreased to –0.19 in June from –0.15 in May. Housing permits decreased to 911,000 annualized units in June from 985,000 in May, and housing starts decreased to 836,000 annualized units in June from 928,000 in the previous month. The contribution from the sales, orders, and inventories category to the CFNAI in June was also negative, edging down to –0.04 from –0.02 in May.
The CFNAI was constructed using data available as of July 18, 2013. At that time, June data for 51 of the 85 indicators had been published. For all missing data, estimates were used in constructing the index. The May monthly index was revised to –0.29 from an initial estimate of –0.30, and the April monthly index was revised to –0.37 from last month’s estimate of –0.52. Revisions to the monthly index can be attributed to two main factors: revisions in previously published data and differences between the estimates of previously unavailable data and subsequently published data. The revision to the May monthly index was due primarily to the former, while the revision to the April monthly index was due primarily
to the latter.
Posted: July 22, 2013 Monday 08:30 AM