Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased by 0.1%
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For the week ending March 15 2014, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased by 0.1 percent for two consecutive weeks. Upturns in consumption indexes again cancelled out declines in production indexes. Chain store sales rose by 0.8 percent following a 1.3 percent increase in the prior week and railroad freight carloadings picked up after decreasing by more than 1.0 percent for two weeks in a row. On the production side, auto and truck production showed increases, rising by 8.4 percent for the first time in four weeks and by 4.0 percent, respectively. However, these increases were offset by significant decreases in electric output and lumber production.
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 (ended in June 2009 according to the NBER). After flat lining 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 2013 slowed to 0.7 percent following 1.5 percent in 2012.
The smoothed version of the barometer, which attempts to account for weekly volatility, picked up by 0.1 percent following an upwardly revised 0.1 percent increase. Its year-over-year growth rate was 0.3 percent.
Posted: March 27, 2014 Thursday 10:00 AM