Texas factory activity increased again in June, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose from 11 to 15.5, indicating output grew at a faster pace than in ...

Pending home sales rose sharply in May, with lower mortgage rates and increased inventory accelerating the market, according to the National Association of Realtors®. All four regions of the country saw increases in pending sales, with the Northeast and West experiencing the ...

Chicago Business Barometer Down 2.9 points to 62.6 in June Barometer Points to GDP Rebound in Q2 New Orders Expand at Slower Rate while Production Surges Above 70 The Chicago Business Barometer eased to 62.6 in June, from a seven month high of 65.5 in May, but was still up sharply on the quarter and consistent with a bounceback in Q2 ...

The small June gain in consumer confidence was not as meaningful as the fact that the Sentiment Index has remained largely unchanged at its current level for the past six months. This was remarkable given the sizeable 1st quarter drop in GDP. Consumers believe the 1st quarter decline in economic activity was due to the harsh winter weather, ...

Growth in Tenth District manufacturing activity slowed somewhat in June, while producers’ expectations for future factory activity showed little change and remained at solid levels. Firms noted some difficulty finding skilled workers, especially for welders, engineers, and machinists. Most price indexes decreased moderately after increasing ...

For the week ending June 14 2014, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer remained at the same level, 97.9, from the prior week as positive and negative performances of both consumption and production indexes cancelled out each other. Chain store sales picked up by 0.4 percent after a 2.7 percent loss in the previous week; notwithstanding it ...

In the week ending June 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 312,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 312,000 to 314,000. The 4-week moving average was 314,250, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

Personal income increased $58.8 billion, or 0.4 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $55.6 billion, or 0.4 percent, in May, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $18.3 billion, or 0.2 percent. In April, personal income increased $49.9 billion, or 0.3 percent, ...

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 2.9 percent in the first quarter of 2014 according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2013, real GDP increased ...

New orders for manufactured durable goods in May decreased $2.4 billion or 1.0 percent to $238.0 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This decrease, down following three consecutive monthly increases, followed a 0.8 percent April increase. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.1 percent. Excluding defense, new ...

Mortgage applications decreased 1.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 20, 2014.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.0 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier to the lowest level since April 2014. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 2 percent compared with the previous week. ...

Sales of new single-family houses in May 2014 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 504,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 18.6 percent (±17.3%) above the revised April rate of 425,000 and is 16.9 percent (±19.6%) above the May ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had increased in May, improved again in June. The Index now stands at 85.2 (1985=100), up from 82.2 in May. The Present Situation Index increased to 85.1 from 80.3, while the Expectations Index rose to 85.2 from 83.5 ...

Fifth District manufacturing activity grew mildly in June, according to the most recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The volume of new orders rose slightly, while shipments softened. Manufacturing employment weakened compared to last month, while average wage growth eased and the average ...

Data through April 2014, 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, show that the 10-City and 20-City Composites posted annual gains of 10.8%. This is a significantly lower rate when compared to last month. Nineteen of the 20 cities saw lower annual gains in ...

The arrival of summer gave way to a rise in weekly sales for the second consecutive week, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index (ICSC-GS). Overall, according to the index, weekly chain store sales jumped by a solid 2.0% for the week ending June 21, 2014. On ...

Existing-home sales rose strongly in May and inventory gains continued to help moderate price growth, according to the National Association of Realtors®. All four regions of the country experienced sales gains compared to a month earlier.

Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 4.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million in May from an upwardly-revised 4.66 million in April, but remain 5.0 ...

Led by improvements in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) increased to +0.21 in May from –0.15 in April. Three of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index made positive contributions to the index in May, and three of the four categories increased ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.5 percent in May to 101.7 (2004 = 100), following a 0.3 percent increase in April, and a 1.0 percent increase in March.

May’s increase in the LEI, the fourth consecutive one, was broad based. Housing permits held the index back slightly but the LEI still points to an expanding economy and its pace may even pick up in the second half of the year. ...

Manufacturing firms responding to the June Business Outlook Survey indicated that regional manufacturing activity expanded this month. The survey's indicators for general activity, new orders, and shipments were positive for the fourth consecutive month and improved from their readings in May. Current employment was also higher among the ...

For the week ending June 7 2014, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer decreased slightly by 0.1 percent to 97.9. The decrease in this week’s barometer is mainly driven by weak performances in consumption indexes, especially chain store sales, which declined by 2.7 percent after a 2.8 percent gain in the prior week. As to the production side, ...

In the week ending June 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 312,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 317,000 to 318,000. The 4-week moving average was 311,750, a decrease of 3,750 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in April indicates that growth in economic activity has rebounded in recent months. Labor market indicators generally showed further improvement. The unemployment rate, though lower, remains elevated. Household spending appears to be rising moderately and business fixed ...

The U.S. current-account deficit—a net measure of transactions between the United States and the rest of the world in goods, services, primary income (investment income and compensation), and secondary income (current transfers)—increased to $111.2 billion (preliminary) in the first quarter of 2014 from $87.3 billion (revised) in the ...

Mortgage applications decreased 9.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 13, 2014.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 9.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 10 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 13 ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent in May on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.1 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The seasonally adjusted increase in the all items index, which was the largest since February 2013, was broad-based. The indexes for shelter, electricity, food, airline fares, and gasoline were among those that contributed. The food index posted its largest increase since ...

BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 991,000. This is 6.4 percent (±0.8%) below the revised April rate of 1,059,000 and is 1.9 percent (±1.4%) below the May 2013 estimate of 1,010,000. Single-family authorizations in May were at a rate of 619,000; this ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees fell 0.2 percent from April to May, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from a 0.2 percent increase in the average hourly earnings being more than offset by a 0.4 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

After last week's slip retailers saw their weekly retail sales gain some positive momentum as consumers picked up their pace of shopping. As a result, for the week ending June 14 weekly sales rose by 0.4% according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. In addition to the ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose four points in to reach a level of 49 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. It remains one point shy of the threshold for what is considered good ...

Industrial production rose 0.6 percent in May after having declined 0.3 percent in April. The decrease in April was previously reported to have been 0.6 percent. Manufacturing output increased 0.6 percent in May after having moved down 0.1 percent in the previous month. In May, the output of mines gained 1.3 percent and the production of ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for April 2014. The sum total in April of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a monthly net TIC inflow of $136.8 billion. Of this, net foreign private inflows were $119.7 billion, and ...

The June 2014 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that business conditions improved significantly for a second consecutive month for New York manufacturers. The headline general business conditions index was 19.3, a reading nearly identical to last month’s multiyear high. The new orders index climbed eight points to 18.4, its ...

The Producer Price Index for final demand fell 0.2 percent in May, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This decline followed increases of 0.6 percent in April and 0.5 percent in March. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand advanced 2.0 percent for the 12 months ended ...

Sales. The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for April, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,337.4 billion, up 0.7 percent (±0.2%) from March 2014 and were up 5.4 percent (±0.6%) from ...

For the week ending May 31 2014, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer picked up by 0.3 percent after four consecutive weeks’ drop. This week’s barometer is mainly driven by strong performances in consumption indexes. Chain store sales bounced back by 2.9 percent after a 1.2 percent drop in the previous week, more than offsetting declines in ...

U.S. import prices ticked up 0.1 percent in May, after a 0.5-percent downturn in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Higher fuel prices drove the increase in May, after declining fuel prices led the decrease the previous month. The price index for U.S. exports also rose 0.1 percent in May following a 1.0-percent decrease ...

In the week ending June 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 317,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 312,000 to 313,000. The 4-week moving average was 315,250, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for May, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $437.6 billion, an increase of 0.3 percent (±0.5) from the previous month, and 4.3 percent (±0.9) above May 2013. Total sales for ...

Mortgage applications increased 10.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 6, 2014. The previous week’s results included an adjustment for the Memorial ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that April 2014 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 $450.2 billion, up 1.3 percent (+/-0.5) from the revised March level and were up 7.8 percent (+/-1.8%) from ...

There were 4.5 million job openings on the last business day of April, up from 4.2 million in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate (3.4 percent) and separations rate (3.3 percent) were unchanged in April. Within separations, the quits rate (1.8 percent) and the layoffs and discharges rate (1.2 percent) ...

After a week-over-week surge in sales two weeks ago, the ICSC-Goldman Sachs (ICSC-GS) chain store sales pace reversed that spike with a 2.8% decline in the latest week ending June 7. However, more importantly, the year-over-year pace remained robust at the start of the five-week June fiscal month. Indeed, if the five-week period holds where ...

The Index of Small Business Optimism posted another gain in May, the third month in a row. The improvement is certainly good news even though the current reading of 96.6 (up 1.4 points) is still “below average” and far from what is considered to be an expansion level. The four components most closely related to GDP and employment growth ...

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in May. The index now stands at 118.58, up from 117.32 (a downward revision) in April. This represents a 5.4 percent gain in the ETI compared to a year ago.

The Employment Trends Index continues to signal solid job growth with an improvement in each of its eight components in the first five months of 2014. The need for employers to rapidly expand their payroll in light of strengthening economic activity is a major factor in the ...

In April, consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 10-1/4 percent. Revolving credit increased at an annual rate of 12-1/4 percent, while nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 9-1/2 percent.

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Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 217,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in professional and business services, health care and social assistance, food services and drinking places, and transportation ...

For the week ending May 24 2014, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer decreased slightly by 0.1 percent from last week, reaching the lowest level of 97.7 since March 22 2014. The decrease in this week’s barometer is due to weak performances in both production and consumption indexes. Chain store sales and MBA’s purchase index in the ...

In the week ending May 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 312,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 4,000 from 300,000 to 304,000. The 4-week moving average was 310,250, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. This is ...