The year began with a 12-month losing streak for New York City business activity, but it ends with a five-month winning streak, according to the survey taken by the Institute for Supply Management-New York (ISM-NY). The Current Business Conditions index came in at 59.7 in December, expanding for a fifth consecutive month, albeit at a slower ...

For the week ending December 19, 2009, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer jumped by +1.3 percent following an unchanged reading in the prior week. Motor vehicle and lumber production surged during the week and inflation-adjusted chain store sales remained strong. Overall business activity accelerated greatly in the latest week with ...

In the week ending Dec. 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 432,000, a decrease of 22,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 454,000. The 4-week moving average was 460,250, a decrease of 5,500 from the previous week's revised average of ...

Growth in Tenth District manufacturing activity moderated somewhat in December, and producers were slightly less optimistic about the months ahead, with few planning major capital expenditures. Price indexes remained mostly stable.

The net percentage of firms reporting month-over-month increases in production in December was 10, down from 17 in November, but up from 6 in October. Production growth slowed at both durable and non-durable goods plants. Most other month-over-month indicators also ...

The Chicago Purchasing Managers reported the CHICAGO BUSINESS BAROMETER signaled economic expansion for the third consecutive month:

BUSINESS ACTIVITY:
PRODUCTION, NEW ORDERS, and ORDER BACKLOGS expanded;
EMPLOYMENT improved;
PRICES PAID strengthened;
BUYING POLICY: Lead-times increased. ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had increased in November, rose again in December. The Index now stands at 52.9 (1985=100), up from 50.6 in November. The Expectations Index increased to 75.6 from 70.3 last month. The Present Situation Index, however, declined to 18.8 from 21.2 ...

Data through October 2009, released today by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show that the annual rate of decline of the 10-City and 20-City Composites improved compared to last month’s reading. This marks approximately nine months of improved readings in these ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Retail Chain Store Sales Index rose 0.4% in the week ended Saturday from the week before on a seasonally adjusted, comparable-store basis.

The increase came as shoppers completed their last-minute holiday season shopping, which had been delayed due to the prior week's winter storms in the Southeast and Northeast. ...

The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index (CFMMI) increased 1.2% in November, to a seasonally adjusted level of 84.2 (2002 = 100). Revised data show the index rose 0.8% in October to 83.2. The Federal Reserve Board’s industrial production index for manufacturing (IPMFG) was up by 1.1% in November. Regional output in November declined 10.0% ...

Texas factory activity was flat in December, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key indicator of state manufacturing conditions, came in close to zero in December, suggesting output held steady after growing in November for the first time since ...

For the week ending December 12, 2009, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer was unchanged following a big +0.6 percent increase in the prior week. In its 3rd and final revision, the BEA reported that real GDP advanced +2.2 percent in Q3 2009 as the U.S. economy entered recovery. With only two weeks of reporting left in 2009, the business ...

In the week ending Dec. 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 452,000, a decrease of 28,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 480,000. The 4-week moving average was 465,250, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average of ...

New orders for manufactured durable goods in November increased $0.3 billion or 0.2 percent to $166.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This was the second monthly increase in the last three months. This followed a 0.6 percent October decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 2.0 percent. Excluding defense, new ...

Sales of new one-family houses in November 2009 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 355,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 11.3 percent (±11.0%) below the revised October rate of 400,000 and is 9.0 percent (±15.3%)* below the ...

Confidence improved in December mainly due to widespread price discounting by merchants attempting to spark holiday sales as well as somewhat more positive expectations for economic growth and employment. More consumers cited the availability of deep price discounts on a wide range of household goods than ever before in the sixtyyear history ...

Personal income increased $49.7 billion, or 0.4 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $54.1 billion, or 0.5 percent, in November, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $47.9 billion, or 0.5 percent. In October, personal income increased $33.6 billion, or 0.3 percent, ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 18, 2009. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume decreased 10.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 10.9 percent ...

Existing-home sales rose again in November as first-time buyers rushed to close sales before the original November 30 deadline for the recently extended and expanded tax credit, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – rose 7.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of 6.54 million units in November from 6.09 million in October, and are 44.1 percent higher than the 4.54 million-unit pace in November ...

In December, the seasonally adjusted composite index of manufacturing activity — our broadest measure of manufacturing — moved down to −4 from November's reading of 1. Among the index's components, shipments dropped 12 points to −6, and new orders lost seven points to finish at −4. However, the jobs index gained seven points to end ...

Employers took 1,797 mass layoff actions in November that resulted in the separation of 165,346 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass ...

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the third quarter of 2009, (that is, from the second quarter to the third quarter), according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs on Tuesday released the following seasonally adjusted weekly data on U.S. chain store retail sales.

WEEK ENDING INDEX 1977=100 YEAR/YEAR CHANGE WEEKLY CHANGE (percent) (percent)
Dec 19 488.1 0.4 0.6
Dec 12 485.1 2.4 0.4
Dec 5 483.4 2.6 -1.3
Nov 28 489.6 3.1 -0.1 ...

Led by improvements in production-related and employment-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index increased to –0.32 in November, up sharply from –1.02 in October. Two of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index improved, although only the production and income category made a ...

Activity in the region's manufacturing sector is expanding, according to firms polled for this month's Business Outlook Survey. Indexes for general activity, new orders, and shipments all remained positive this month. Indicative of improvement, the overall level of employment and average work hours among reporting firms increased this ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.9 percent in November, following a 0.3 percent gain in October, and a 1.2 percent rise in September.

The Conference Board LEI has been on an uptrend for more than half a year and it is now slightly higher than its latest peak in July 2007. Improving financial conditions, labor market indicators, and housing permits have helped the LEI continue its gains in November. ...

For the week ending December 5, 2009, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer jumped +0.6 percent building upon a +0.1 percent increase in the prior week. In the final quarter of 2009 the barometer is on track to post its first quarter-on-quarter growth since Q1 2008 and its strongest quarter of growth since mid-2005. In the latest week, motor ...

In the week ending Dec. 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 480,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 473,000. The 4-week moving average was 467,500, a decrease of 5,250 from the previous week's revised average of ...

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in November suggests that economic activity has continued to pick up and that the deterioration in the labor market is abating. The housing sector has shown some signs of improvement over recent months. Household spending appears to be expanding at a moderate rate, though it ...

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months the index increased 1.8 percent before seasonal adjustment, the first positive 12-month change since February 2009.

The seasonally adjusted increase ...

BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in November were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 584,000. This is 6.0 percent (±1.6%) above the revised October rate of 551,000, but is 7.3 percent (±1.8%) below the November 2008 estimate of 630,000. Single-family authorizations in November were at a rate ...

The U.S. current-account deficit—the combined balances on trade in goods and services, income, and net unilateral current transfers—increased to $108.0 billion (preliminary) in the third quarter of 2009 from $98.0 billion (revised) in the second quarter. The increase was more than accounted for by an increase in the deficit on goods. A ...

Real average hourly earnings fell 0.5 percent from October to November, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A 0.5 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) more than offset a 0.1 percent increase in average hourly earnings for production and ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 11, 2009. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume increased 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 0.3 percent ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes receded one point to 16 in December as continued weakness in the economy and job markets weighed on consumers’ potential home buying plans, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released ...

Industrial production increased 0.8 percent in November after having been unchanged in October. Manufacturing production advanced 1.1 percent, with broad-based gains among both durables and nondurables. The output of mines climbed 2.1 percent, but the index for utilities fell 1.8 percent, primarily as a result of lower output of ...

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that conditions for New York manufacturers leveled off in December, following four months of improvement. The general business conditions index fell 21 points, to 2.6. The indexes for new orders and shipments posted somewhat more moderate declines but also moved close to zero. Input prices picked ...

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods rose 1.8 percent in November, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This increase followed a 0.3-percent advance in October and a 0.6-percent decrease in September. In November, at the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Retail Chain Store Sales Index rose 0.4% in the week ended Saturday from its level a week before on a seasonally adjusted, comparable-store basis. On a year-on-year basis, the reading rose 2.4%.

The jump came as consumers started to make their final shopping push for the 2009 holiday season, and Hanukkah came earlier this year than last. "But with consumers still behind last year's holiday-gift buying completion rate, the industry is poised to have a bigger ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for October, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,004.0 billion, up 1.1 percent (±0.3%) from September 2009, but down 8.2 percent (±0.5%) from October ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for November, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $352.1 billion, an increase of 1.3 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month and 1.9 percent (±0.5%) above November 2008. ...

The U.S. Import Price Index advanced 1.7 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, led by a 7.3 percent rise in fuel prices. The increase followed a 0.8 percent advance in October. U.S. export prices rose 0.8 percent in November after a 0.2 percent increase the ...

For the week ending November 28, 2009, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased +0.1 percent after falling -0.4 percent in the prior week. Inflation-adjusted chain store sales were very disappointing, especially given the fact that part of the Black Friday holiday shopping weekend was captured in this report. But customer surveys so far ...

The Nation’s international trade deficit decreased to $32.9 billion in October from $35.7 billion (revised) in September, as exports increased more than imports.

Goods and Services
Exports increased to $136.8 billion in October from $133.4 billion in September. Goods were $93.5 billion in October, up from $90.3 billion in September, and services were $43.3 billion in October, up from $43.1 billion in September. ...

In the week ending Dec. 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 474,000, an increase of 17,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 457,000. The 4-week moving average was 473,750, a decrease of 7,750 from the previous week's revised average of ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that October 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 $326.2 billion, up 1.2 percent (+/-0.7%) from the revised September level, but were down 9.6 percent ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 4, 2009. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 8.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 54.0 percent ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Retail Chain Store Sales Index fell 1.3% in the week ended Saturday from its level a week before on a seasonally adjusted, comparable-store basis. On a year-on-year basis, the reading rose 2.6%.

The weekly decline came following the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping surge. Amid that lull, ICSC chief economist Michael P. Niemira said shoppers remain "well behind on their holiday-gift buying completion pace." ...

Consumer credit decreased at an annual rate of 3-1/4 percent in the third quarter of 2009. Revolving credit decreased at an annual rate of 7-1/4 percent, and nonrevolving credit decreased at an annual rate of 1 percent. In October, consumer credit decreased at an annual rate of ...

New orders for manufactured goods in October, up six of the last seven months, increased $2.1 billion or 0.6 percent to $360.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.6 percent September increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased ...

The unemployment rate edged down to 10.0 percent in November, and nonfarm payroll employment was essentially unchanged (-11,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In the prior 3 months, payroll job losses had averaged 135,000 a month. In November, employment fell in construction, manufacturing, and information, while ...