 New York Purchasing Managers business activity expanded Posted: May 29, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Friday)New York City business activity expanded for the first time since January 2008, according to the survey taken by the National Association of Purchasing Management-New York (NAPM-NY). The Current Business Conditions index rose sharply to 61.3 in May from 28.3 in April.
Future optimism persisted for the third straight month, reinforcing the belief that recovery could begin this year. The Six-Month Outlook index rose to 56.1 in May from 51.2 in April. ... |
 Chicago PMI Fell Posted: May 29, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Friday)The Chicago Purchasing Managers reported the CHICAGO BUSINESS BAROMETER rate of decline stabilized as the May reading fell to equal the six month moving average.
BUSINESS ACTIVITY:
PRICES PAID index decline continued to signal broad deflation;
EMPLOYMENT weakened further;
NEW ORDERS and ORDER BACKLOG indexes contributed further softness;
BUYING POLICY: Lead-times continued mixed. ... |
 University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Up Again Posted: May 29, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Friday)Consumer confidence rose in May as consumers became increasingly convinced that the economy is in its final stages of contraction and that President Obama’s stimulus programs would spark renewed economic growth. While consumers anticipate an improved economy, they nonetheless think that their own financial situation will improve only ... |
 1Q2009 GDP preliminary estimate -5.7% Posted: May 29, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Friday)Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- decreased at an annual rate of 5.7 percent in the first quarter of 2009, (that is, from the fourth quarter to the first quarter), according to preliminary estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In ... |
 Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index declined 1.1% Posted: May 28, 2009 at 12:00 PM (Thursday)The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index (CFMMI) was down 1.1% in April, to a seasonally adjusted level of 81.0 (2002 = 100). Revised data show the index decreased 2.9% in March, to 81.8. The Federal Reserve Board’s industrial production index for manufacturing (IPMFG) edged down 0.2% in April. Regional output in April was down 22.7% from ... |
 Kansas City Fed Manufacturing activity declined only slightly Posted: May 28, 2009 at 11:00 AM (Thursday)Tenth District manufacturing activity declined only slightly in May, and firms generally expect steady conditions heading forward. Price indexes in the survey indicated continued declines in both materials and finished goods prices.
The net percentage of firms reporting month-over-month increases in production in May was -3, up from -6 in April and -21 in March (Tables 1 & 2, Chart). Production indexes increased at non-durable-goods producing plants, but eased a bit at durable-goods plants, ... |
 DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer down -0.2% Posted: May 28, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Thursday)For the week ending May 16, 2009, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer fell by -0.2 percent after having exhibited some measure of stability over the past two weeks. A drop in auto production weighed most on the barometer in the latest week with all of Chrysler’s North American plants closed due to bankruptcy and six of GM’s plants closed due ... |
 New Home Sales in April at annual rate of 352,000 Posted: May 28, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Thursday)Sales of new one-family houses in April 2009 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 352,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 0.3 percent (±14.5%) above the revised March rate of 351,000, but is 34.0 percent (±11.0%) below the April ... |
 Weekly initial unemployment claims down 13,000 to 623,000 Posted: May 28, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Thursday)In the week ending May 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 623,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 636,000. The 4-week moving average was 626,750, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of ... |
 New orders for durable goods increased 1.9% Posted: May 28, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Thursday)New orders for manufactured durable goods in April increased $3.0 billion or 1.9 percent to $161.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This was the second increase in the last three months and followed a 2.1 percent March decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.8 percent. Excluding defense, new orders also ... |
 Existing-Home Sales rose in April Posted: May 27, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Wednesday)Existing-home sales rose in April with strong buyer activity in lower price ranges, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – increased 2.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of 4.68 million units in April from a downwardly revised pace of 4.55 million units in March, but were 3.5 percent below the 4.85 ... |
 ICSC Chain Store Sales rose 0.8% In May 23 Wk Posted: May 27, 2009 at 07:45 AM (Wednesday)The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Retail Chain Store Sales Index rose 0.8% in the week ended Saturday from its level a week before on a seasonally adjusted, comparable-store basis. On a year-on-year basis, retailers saw sales rise 0.5%. The weekly gain was the biggest since the week before ... |
 Refinance Activity Falls, Purchase Applications Steady in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Posted: May 27, 2009 at 07:00 AM (Wednesday)The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 22, 2009. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 786.0, a decrease of 14.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from 915.9 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased ... |
 Texas Manufacturing Still Weak but Outlook Improves Again Posted: May 26, 2009 at 10:30 AM (Tuesday)Texas factory activity remained weak and changed little from April to May, according to the business executives who responded to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The manufacturing sector’s rate of decline stabilized over the past three months—a change from the accelerating contractions in the last quarter of 2008 and first two months ... |
 Consumer Confidence posted large gain in May Posted: May 26, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Tuesday)The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index™, which had improved considerably in April, posted another large gain in May. The Index now stands at 54.9 (1985=100), up from 40.8 in April. The Present Situation Index increased to 28.9 from 25.5 last month. The Expectations Index rose to 72.3 from 51.0 ... |
 Richmond Fed's latest survey increases in May Posted: May 26, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Tuesday)In May, the seasonally adjusted manufacturing index — our broadest measure of manufacturing activity — jumped to 4 from April's reading of −9. Among the index's components, shipments gained twelve points to 9, new orders rose twelve points to finish at 10, and the jobs index advanced fourteen points to end ... |
 S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices continues declines Posted: May 26, 2009 at 09:00 AM (Tuesday)Data through March 2009, released today by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller1 Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show that the U.S. National Home Price Index continues to set record declines, a trend that began in late 2007 and prevailed ... |
 Chicago Fed National Activity Index improved in April Posted: May 26, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Tuesday)The Chicago Fed National Activity Index was –2.06 in April, up from –3.36 in March. All four broad categories of indicators improved in April, but each continued to make a negative contribution to the index. The index’s three-month moving average in April reached its highest level since ... |
 April Mass Layoffs total 2,712 actions, 271,226 workers Posted: May 22, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Friday)Employers took 2,712 mass layoff actions in April that resulted in the separation of 271,226 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single ... |
 Philadelphia Fed May Outlook continued to show weakness Posted: May 21, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Thursday)The region's manufacturing sector continued to show weakness in May, according to firms polled for this month's Business Outlook Survey. Although the indexes for general activity, shipments, and employment improved, the index for new orders declined slightly. Firms reported decreases in input prices and prices for their own manufactured ... |
 U.S. leading economic index increased 1.0% Posted: May 21, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Thursday)The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for the U.S. increased 1.0 percent, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index™ (CEI) decreased 0.2 percent and The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index™ (LAG) decreased 0.5 percent in April.
The Conference Board LEI for the U.S. rose sharply in April, the first increase in seven months, and the strengths among its components exceeded the weaknesses for the first time in one and a half years. Stock prices, the interest rate spread, consumer expectations, initial ... |
 DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer up 0.1% Posted: May 21, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Thursday)For the week ending May 9, 2009, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer remained unchanged compared to an upward revised increase of +0.2 percent in the prior week. Surprisingly, auto and truck production did not weigh on the barometer in the latest week even though all of Chrysler’s North America plants were shuttered due to ... |
 Weekly initial unemployment claims down 12,000 to 631,000 Posted: May 21, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Thursday)In the week ending May 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 631,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 643,000. The 4-week moving average was 628,500, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average of ... |
 Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Posted: May 20, 2009 at 07:00 AM (Wednesday)The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 15, 2009. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 915.9, an increase of 2.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from 895.6 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased ... |
 April Housing starts down 12.8%, Permits down 3.3% Posted: May 19, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Tuesday)BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 494,000. This is 3.3 percent (±2.3%) below the revised March rate of 511,000 and is 50.2 percent (±1.4%) below the revised April 2008 estimate of 991,000. Single-family authorizations in April were at a rate ... |
 ICSC Chain Store Sales down 1.2% In May 16 Wk Posted: May 19, 2009 at 07:45 AM (Tuesday)The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Retail Chain Store Sales Index fell 1.2% in the week ended Saturday from its level a week before on a seasonally adjusted, comparable-store basis. On a year-on-year basis, retailers saw sales fell 0.3% in the latest ... |
 Builder Confidence Continues To Rise In May Posted: May 18, 2009 at 01:00 PM (Monday)Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes improved for a second consecutive month in May to the highest level since September of 2008, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. The HMI rose two points to 16 ... |
 Forecasters Expect Lower Growth and Higher Unemployment over the Next Two Years Posted: May 15, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Friday)The economy looks weaker now than it did in February, according to 51 forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The forecasters project lower real GDP growth and higher unemployment rates in 2009 and 2010 than they did three months ago. In the current year, the forecasters see the economy contracting at a rate of ... |
 Industrial production decreased 0.5%
Capacity Utilization down to 69.1% Posted: May 15, 2009 at 09:15 AM (Friday)Industrial production decreased 0.5 percent in April after having fallen 1.7 percent in March. Production in manufacturing declined 0.3 percent in April and was 16.0 percent below its recent peak in December 2007. The decreases in manufacturing in April remained broadly based across industries. Outside of manufacturing, the output of mines ... |
 Consumer Price Index increased 0.2% in April Posted: May 15, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Friday)The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent in April before seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This index has fallen 0.7 percent over the last 12 months, due primarily to a 25.2 percent drop in energy prices. The year-over-year declines in March ... |
 Empire State Manufacturing Survey worsened only modestly Posted: May 15, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Friday)The Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that conditions for New York manufacturers worsened only modestly in May. Although negative, the general business conditions index rose 10 points to -4.6, its highest level since August of last year. The new orders index fell several points and remained below zero, while the shipments index ... |
 DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer up 0.1% Posted: May 14, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Thursday)For the week ending May 2, 2009, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer eked out a +0.1 percent gain with 80 percent of the barometer’s components posting improvement. Consumers seemed more upbeat and showed it by shopping, home buying, and going to the movies. Truck production plummeted in the latest week and more losses in this sector are ... |
 Weekly initial unemployment claims up 32,000 to 637,000 Posted: May 14, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Thursday)In the week ending May 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 637,000, an increase of 32,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 605,000. The 4-week moving average was 630,500, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised average of ... |
 Producer Price Index up 0.3 percent in April Posted: May 14, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Thursday)The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.3 percent in April, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This rise followed a 1.2-percent decline in March and a 0.1-percent increase in February. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by producers of ... |
 Business Inventories down 1.0% in March Posted: May 13, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Wednesday)The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers' shipments for March, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $971.7 billion, down 1.6 percent (±0.2%) from February 2009 and down 15.6 percent (±0.4%) from March ... |
 U.S. Import Price Index rose 1.6% in April Posted: May 13, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Wednesday)The U.S. Import Price Index rose 1.6 percent in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. A 15.4 percent increase in import petroleum prices more than offset a 0.4 percent decline in the price index for nonpetroleum imports. Export prices also rose in April, increasing ... |
 U.S. Retail Sales for April decreased 0.4% Posted: May 13, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Wednesday)The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for April, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $337.7 billion, a decrease of 0.4 percent (±0.5%)* from the previous month and 10.1 percent (±0.7%) below April 2008. Total ... |
 Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Posted: May 13, 2009 at 07:00 AM (Wednesday)The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 8, 2009. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 895.6, a decrease of 8.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from 979.7 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased ... |
 Goods and Services Deficit Increases in March 2009 Posted: May 12, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Tuesday)The Nation's international deficit in goods and services increased to $27.6 billion in March from $26.1 billion (revised) in February, as exports decreased more than imports.
Goods and Services
Exports decreased to $123.6 billion in March from $126.6 billion in February. Goods were $82.0 billion in March, down from $84.5 billion in February, and services were $41.7 billion in March, down from $42.2 billion in February. ... |
 ICSC Chain Store Sales rose 0.3% In May 9 Wk Posted: May 12, 2009 at 07:45 AM (Tuesday)The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Retail Chain Store Sales Index rose 0.3% in the week ended Saturday, May 9, from its level a week before on a seasonally adjusted, comparable-store basis. On a year-on-year basis, retailers saw sales rise 0.5% in the ... |
 Wholesale Inventories down 1.6% in March Posted: May 8, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Friday)The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that March 2009 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $310.9 billion, down 2.4 percent (+/-0.7%) from the revised February level and were down 18.1 percent ... |
 April Employment declined by 539,000,
Unemployment rate jumps to 8.9% Posted: May 8, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Friday)Nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline in April (-539,000), and the unemployment rate rose from 8.5 to 8.9 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Since the recession began in December 2007, 5.7 million jobs have been lost. In April, job losses were large and widespread across nearly ... |
 Consumer credit decreased at an annual rate of 2.0% Posted: May 7, 2009 at 03:00 PM (Thursday)Consumer credit decreased at an annual rate of 2 percent in the first quarter. Revolving credit decreased at an annual rate of 6-1/2 percent, and nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 1 percent. In March, consumer credit decreased at an annual rate of ... |
 DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer down -0.8% Posted: May 7, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Thursday)For the week ending April 25, 2009, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer declined by -0.8 percent on a large drop in activity nearly across the board. Record-high summer-like temperatures across much of the country drove consumers indoors to catch the latest movie, which was just about the only category to experience an increase during the ... |
 Weekly initial unemployment claims down 34,000 to 601,000 Posted: May 7, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Thursday)In the week ending May 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 601,000, a decrease of 34,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 635,000. The 4-week moving average was 623,500, a decrease of 14,750 from the previous week's revised average of ... |
 1Q Productivity Growth was 1.1% Posted: May 7, 2009 at 08:30 AM (Thursday)The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor today reported preliminary productivity data--as measured by output per hour of all persons--for the first quarter of 2009. The seasonally adjusted annual rates of productivity growth in the first quarter were: 1.1 percent in the business sector and 0.8 percent in the nonfarm ... |
 ADP National Employment Report decreased 491,000 Posted: May 6, 2009 at 08:15 AM (Wednesday)Nonfarm private employment decreased 491,000 from March to April 2009 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the ADP National Employment Report. Despite some recent indications that stock prices, consumer spending, and housing activity may be bottoming out, employment, which usually trails overall economic activity, is likely to decline ... |
 Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Posted: May 6, 2009 at 07:00 AM (Wednesday)The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 1, 2009. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 979.7, an increase of 2.0 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from 960.6 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased ... |
 ISM Non-Manufacturing Index up to 43.7% Posted: May 5, 2009 at 10:00 AM (Tuesday)The NMI (Non-Manufacturing Index) registered 43.7 percent in April, 2.9 percentage points higher than the 40.8 percent registered in March, indicating contraction in the non-manufacturing sector for the seventh consecutive month, but at a slower rate.
The Non-Manufacturing Business Activity Index increased 1.1 percentage points to 45.2 percent. The New Orders Index increased 8.2 percentage points to 47 percent, and the Employment Index increased 4.7 percentage points to 37 percent. The Prices Index increased 0.9 ... |
 ICSC Chain Store Sales rose 0.7% In May 2 Wk Posted: May 5, 2009 at 07:45 AM (Tuesday)The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Retail Chain Store Sales Index rose 0.7% in the week ended Saturday from its level a week before on a seasonally adjusted, comparable-store basis. On a year-on-year basis, retailers saw sales fall 0.8% in the latest ... |