For the week ending October 19th 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer jumped by 0.4 percent following a 0.3 percent decline in the prior week. After five straight weekly declines, the consumption indexes showed positive contributions to this week’s barometer; chain store sales rose by 1.5 percent as well as railroad freight carloadings, ...

- Barometer highest since March 2011
- Production, New Orders, Order Backlogs posted double digit gains

The October Chicago Business Barometer rose to 65.9 in October from 55.7 in September, led by double digit gains in New Orders, Production and Order Backlogs. October’s gain placed the Barometer at the highest level since March 2011 with companies seemingly unaffected by ...

In the week ending October 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 340,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 350,000. The 4-week moving average was 356,250, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's unrevised average ...

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in September generally suggests that economic activity has continued to expand at a moderate pace. Indicators of labor market conditions have shown some further improvement, but the unemployment rate remains elevated. Available data suggest that household spending and business ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.2 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The energy index rose 0.8 percent in September and accounted for about half of the seasonally adjusted all items increase. All the major energy component indexes rose in September. The food index was unchanged, with declines in the indexes for fruits and vegetables and for ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees was unchanged from August to September, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from a 0.1 percent increase in average hourly earnings being offset by a 0.2 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

Private sector employment increased by 130,000 jobs from September to October, according to the October ADP National Employment Report®. Broadly distributed to the public each month, free of charge, the ADP National Employment Report is produced by ADP®, a leading global provider of Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions, in collaboration ...

Mortgage applications increased 6.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 25, 2013.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 6.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 6 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 9 ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had declined moderately in September, decreased sharply in October. The Index now stands at 71.2 (1985=100), down from 80.2 in September. The Present Situation Index decreased to 70.7 from 73.5. The Expectations Index fell to 71.5 from 84.7 ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for August, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,297.8 billion, up 0.3 percent (±0.2) from July 2013, and were up 4.2 percent (±1.1) from ...

Data through August 2013, released today by S&P Dow Jones Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, showed that the 10-City and 20-City Composites increased 12.8% year-over-year. Compared to July 2013, the annual growth rates accelerated for both Composites and ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $425.9 billion, a decrease of 0.1 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month, but 3.2 percent (±0.7%) above September 2012. ...

The Producer Price Index for finished goods fell 0.1 percent in September, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Prices for finished goods rose 0.3 percent in August and were unchanged in July. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by producers of intermediate goods advanced 0.1 percent, and ...

U.S. chain-store sales rose 2.2 percent year on year for the week that ended on October 26, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs. However, weekly comparable-store sales slipped 0.4 percent.

“A blast of wintery-type weather and most likely Halloween-related buying helped lift seasonal goods and drive traffic across most of the industry," said Michael Niemira, ICSC's vice president of research and chief economist. “Over the last month, sales have been very ...

Texas factory activity picked up further in October, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose from 11.5 to 13.3, suggesting output increased at a slightly faster pace than ...

Pending home sales declined for the fourth consecutive month in September, as higher mortgage interest rates and higher home prices curbed buying power, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, fell 5.6 percent to 101.6 in September from a downwardly revised 107.6 in August, and is 1.2 percent below September 2012 when it was 102.8. The index is at the lowest level since December ...

Industrial production increased 0.6 percent in September following a gain of 0.4 percent in August. For the third quarter as a whole, industrial production rose at an annual rate of 2.3 percent. Manufacturing output edged up 0.1 percent in September following a gain of 0.5 percent in August, and increased at an annual rate of 1.2 percent for ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that August 2013 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 $428.4 billion, up 0.6 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised July level and were up 5.6 percent (+/-2.8%) from ...

Confidence declined in the October 2013 survey as consumers became convinced that the Federal shutdown as well as other restrictions on government spending would slow the overall pace of economic growth over the next several months. Overall, the Sentiment Index fell to its lowest level since the fiscal cliff crisis in late 2012, and ...

New orders for manufactured durable goods in September increased $8.2 billion or 3.7 percent to $233.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up five of the last six months, followed a 0.2 percent August increase. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.1 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased ...

Growth in Tenth District manufacturing activity improved moderately in October, while producers’ expectations for future activity eased somewhat but remained at solid levels. Several producers noted negative business impacts from the government shutdown, particularly related to delays in government inspections and approval processes, lack of ...

There were 3.9 million job openings on the last business day of August, little changed from July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate (3.3 percent) and separations rate (3.2 percent) also were little changed in August. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations ...

For the week ending October 12th 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer dropped notably by 0.4 percent to 96.9, the lowest level since March 9, following a slight pickup in the prior week. The consumption side is still on a declining trend; chain store sales fell by 0.7 percent following a 0.2 percent decrease and MBA’s purchase index ...

In the week ending October 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 350,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 362,000. The 4-week moving average was 348,250, an increase of 10,750 from the previous week's revised average ...

The Nation’s international trade deficit in goods and services increased to $38.8 billion in August from $38.6 billion in July (revised), as exports decreased and imports increased.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that total August exports of $189.2 billion and imports of $228.0 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $38.8 billion, up from $38.6 billion in ...

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in September. The index now stands at 114.78, up from 113.98 (an upward revision) in August. The ETI figure for September is 6.3 percent higher than a year ago.

The Employment Trends Index accelerated in August and September, with improvements across all eight components during these two months. In contrast to the gloomy headlines from Tuesday’s jobs report, the ETI signals upward momentum in labor market conditions in the months ...

U.S. import prices advanced 0.2 percent for the second consecutive month in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The increase in each of the past two months was led by rising fuel prices. The price index for U.S. exports rose 0.3 percent in September after falling the previous ...

Mortgage applications decreased 0.6 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 18, 2013. This week’s results do not include an adjustment for the Columbus ...

The U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that construction spending during August 2013 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $915.1 billion, 0.6 percent (±2.1%) above the revised July estimate of $909.4 billion. The August figure is 7.1 percent (±2.3%) above the August 2012 estimate of $854.0 ...

Manufacturing in the Fifth District remained weak in October, according to the most recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Shipments, capacity utilization, and the backlog of orders declined. The volume of new orders flattened, while vendor lead-time rose. Finished goods inventories and raw materials inventories also increased ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for August 2013. The sum total in August of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a monthly net TIC outflow of negative $2.9 billion. Of this, net foreign private outflows were ...

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 148,000 in September, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in construction, wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing.

The unemployment rate, at 7.2 percent, changed little in September but has declined by 0.4 percentage point since June. The number of unemployed persons, at 11.3 million, was also little changed over the month; however, unemployment has decreased by 522,000 since June. ...

U.S. chain-store sales rose 3.2 percent year on year for the week that ended on October 19, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs. Weekly comparable-store sales rose 1.4 percent.

“As the federal government shutdown came to an end, consumers were seemingly back in a mood to shop,” said Michael Niemira, ICSC's vice president of research and chief economist. “The shopping environment was helped by cold weather in the West and the Columbus Day holiday ...

After hitting the highest level in nearly four years, existing-home sales declined in September, but limited inventory conditions continued to pressure home prices in much of the country, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, declined 1.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.29 million in September from a downwardly revised 5.39 million in August, but are ...

Manufacturing growth in the region continued in October, according to firms responding to this month’s Business Outlook Survey. The survey’s broadest indicators for general activity, new orders, shipments, and employment were positive, signifying growth. The survey's indicators of future activity suggest continued optimism about growth over ...

For the week ending October 5th 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer picked up moderately by 0.1 percent after decreasing for three consecutive weeks. Production side showed a positive contribution to the barometer for the first time in four weeks. Notably electric output rose by 6.4 percent following declines for two consecutive weeks ...

In the week ending October 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 358,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 373,000. The 4-week moving average was 336,500, an increase of 11,750 from the previous week's revised average ...

Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts suggest that national economic activity continued to expand at a modest to moderate pace during the reporting period of September through early October. Eight Districts reported similar growth rates in economic activity as during the previous reporting period, while growth slowed some in ...

MBA’s Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for September 2013 showed that mortgage applications for new home purchases decreased by 1 percent relative to the previous month. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns.

By product type, conventional loans composed 68.4 percent of loan applications, FHA loans composed 16.6 percent, RHS/USDA loans composed 1.1 percent and VA loans composed 13.9 percent. The average loan size of new homes increased from $284,392 in August to $289,650 in ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes fell two points in October from a downwardly revised reading in the previous month to a level of 55 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today.

“Builder optimism remains above 50 and we are still seeing signs of pent-up demand in many markets across the country,” said NAHB Chairman Rick Judson, a home builder from Charlotte, N.C. “This slight dip in builder sentiment is the result of continuing challenges in the ...

According to a special report conducted by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs. While lower-income households, or those earning less than $50,000 annually, were more affected by the shutdown than those earning above $50,000, overall, two out of five consumers reported having scaled ...

The October 2013 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that business conditions held steady for New York manufacturers. The general business conditions index fell 5 points to 1.5. The new orders index rose five points to 7.8 and the shipments index fell three points to 13.1, suggesting that both orders and shipments increased modestly ...

For the week ending September 28th 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer decreased again by 0.2 percent for three consecutive weeks. Weakening trend in both production and consumption indexes still continues. MBA’s purchase index in the consumption side contributed to the barometer negatively, declining by 5.6 percent, for the first time ...

In the week ending October 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 374,000, an increase of 66,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 308,000. The 4-week moving average was 325,000, an increase of 20,000 from the previous week's unrevised average ...

Mortgage applications increased 1.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 4, 2013.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 1.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 3 ...

U.S. chain-store sales rose 1.8 percent year on year for the week that ended on October 5, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs. However, weekly comparable-store sales were flat, or down just 0.1 percent, due to the government shutdown and political infighting from Washington D.C., according to ...

Well, a processing error produced a few “interesting” results in the details in the August data such as a surge in job creation plans and major declines in reported sales. But with the correction, most of the 10 Index components were little changed, with the exception of expected business conditions 6 months ahead which gave up 8 points. ...

Consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 5-1/2 percent in August. Revolving credit decreased at an annual rate of 1-1/4 percent, while nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 8 percent.

...

Economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in September for the 45th consecutive month, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in the latest Non-Manufacturing ISM Report On Business®.

The NMI™ registered 54.4 percent in September, 4.2 percentage points lower than August's reading of 58.6 percent. This indicates continued growth at a slower rate in the non-manufacturing sector. The Non-Manufacturing Business Activity Index decreased to 55.1 percent, which ...

For the week ending September 21st 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer decreased slightly by 0.1 percent following a 0.3 decline in the prior week. Production and consumption indexes both weakened again this week. Chain store sales decreased by 1.0 percent following a decline in the previous week while MBA’s purchase index rose largely ...