Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer moved up 0.2%
|
For the week ending May 18, 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer picked up slightly by 0.2 percent after dropping for two consecutive weeks. The rebound in this week resulted from increases in both production and consumption indexes and there was no negative contribution to the barometer. Railroad Freight Carloadings, an index of the consumption, edged up following 0.1 percent two weeks’ consecutive decline. From the productions indexes, Lumber Production was up by 1.3 percent and Electric Output also increased significantly for the first time in four weeks.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer showed an increase of 0.9 percent for the sixth consecutive week, 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 decrease by 0.1 percent for three weeks in a row. Its year-over-year growth rate was 0.8 percent.
Posted: May 30, 2013 Thursday 10:00 AM