Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased moderately by 0.1%
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For the week ending August 10th 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased moderately by 0.1 percent following an upwardly-revised flat reading in the prior week. Production indexes contributed to the barometer this week while consumption indexes decreased. However, among those increased production indexes, most of them demonstrated rebounds from declines seen past few weeks. Auto and truck productions increased by more than 5 percent, respectively, which rebounded from declines due to annual summer shutdown in July. Electric output increased by 3.7 percent after declining for three consecutive weeks, yet its production level still remains low compared with the first half of this year.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer showed a gain of 0.2 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 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, showed no change. Its year-over-year growth rate was 0.3 percent.
Posted: August 22, 2013 Thursday 10:00 AM