Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer picked up by 0.1%
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For the week ending October 5th 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer picked up moderately by 0.1 percent after decreasing for three consecutive weeks. Production side showed a positive contribution to the barometer for the first time in four weeks. Notably electric output rose by 6.4 percent following declines for two consecutive weeks and truck production also jumped by 6.3 percent. Meanwhile, consumption side continues to diminish since September 14. This week railroad freight carloadings dropped by 1.4 percent while other indexes also showed slight declines.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer showed a gain of 0.3 percent, decelerating for three consecutive weeks, 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, remained the same level from last week. Its year-over-year growth rate was 0.5 percent.
Posted: October 17, 2013 Thursday 10:00 AM