Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased 0.3%
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For the week ending July 2, 2011, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer was up +0.3 percent following an increase of +0.5 percent, lifted again by consumption components. In the latest week, inflation adjusted chain store sales increased two weeks in a row, reversing its course of the prior two weeks. Mortgage activities revived as well while box office receipts fell in the latest week. On the production side, auto production and electric output increased, but the gain was largely offset by a setback in truck production.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer increased by +1.8 percent in the week ending July 2, 2011, 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 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%), but not so impressive when you compare it to an -8.0 percent drop in 2009.
The smoothed version of the barometer, which attempts to account for weekly volatility, increased +0.1 percent consecutively in the latest week ending July 2nd, while its year-over-year growth rate slowed slightly to +1.4 percent.
Posted: July 14, 2011 Thursday 10:00 AM