Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased by 0.1%
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For the week ending May 26, 2012, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased by +0.1% after declining for three consecutive weeks. Truck production bounced back remarkably from a slower growth for the last week. Together with Electric Output and Bituminous and Lignite production, these increases resulted in the slight rise of barometer. Yet minor decreases have been seen in Chain Store Sales and Railroad Freight Carloadings, which recorded the lowest level activities since early March and middle April respectively.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer grew +1.8 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%), but not so impressive when compared to an -8.0 percent drop in 2009. The barometer increased by +2.2% in 2011 at a somewhat slower pace compared to 2010.
The smoothed version of the barometer, which attempts to account for weekly volatility, decreased by -0.1% in the week ending May 26th, and its year-over-year growth rate slightly declined to +1.6 percent.
Posted: June 7, 2012 Thursday 10:00 AM