Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer declined by 0.1%
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For the week ending June 16, 2012, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer decreased slightly by -0.1 percent from the previous week. A sharp decline in Railroad Freight Carloadings mainly contributed to the drop in the barometer as well as Truck production. Steel production showed a declining trend for five consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, modest upturns were seen in Electric Output and Auto production following decreases in the prior week. Chain Store Sales also showed a slight pickup after declining for seven consecutive weeks.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer increased by +1.7 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 percent), but not so impressive when compared to an -8.0 percent drop in 2009. The barometer increased by +2.2 percent in 2011 at a somewhat slower pace compared to 2010.
The smoothed version of the barometer, which attempts to account for weekly volatility, remained unchanged from the previous week while its year-over-year growth rate increased by +1.4 percent.
Posted: June 28, 2012 Thursday 10:00 AM