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BTMU U.S. Business Barometer remained flat%
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For the week ending March 26 2016, the BTMU U.S. Business Barometer remained flat at 97.4, as gains in some indexes offset losses in others. On one side, chain store sales climbed by 3.0 percent after falling by 2.1 percent in the previous week. Along similar lines, MBA’s purchase index and coal production rose by 2.1 and 1.3 percent, respectively. On the other side, electric output and auto production fell by 4.0 and 0.7 percent, respectively.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer declined by 1.3 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, remained flat at 97.5. Its year-over-year growth rate was -1.1 percent.
Posted: April 7, 2016 Thursday 10:39 AM