Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer fell by 1.1%
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For the week ending March 3, 2012, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer fell -1.1 percent after a surge of +1.4 percent in the prior week. Inflation-adjusted chain store sales increased by +1.3 percent but a decline in motor vehicle production more than offset the increase in chain store sales, dragging the business barometer index by approximately +1.3 percentage points. A bounce back in electric output and lumber production mitigated the impact of a sharp drop in motor vehicle production.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer grew +0.7 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 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 by +0.1 percent in the week ending March 3rd, while its year-over-year growth rate remained +0.9 percent for ten weeks.
Posted: March 15, 2012 Thursday 10:00 AM