Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer decreased by 0.3%
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For the week ending August 17th 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer decreased by 0.3 percent to 97.2, falling to a two-month low. Both production and consumption indexes contributed negatively to this week’s barometer. Consumption indexes were dragged down by chain store sales, declining largely by 1.8 percent following a 0.2 percent decrease in the prior week, and cancelled out increases in box office receipts and railroad freight carloadings. There were no significant rises and falls in production indexes, however, truck production dropped by 6.5 percent offsetting an increase in the prior week.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer showed a gain of 0.4 percent, 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, continued to decline by 0.1 percent for five consecutive weeks. Its year-over-year growth rate was 0.2 percent.
Posted: August 29, 2013 Thursday 10:00 AM