Consumers reported that their finances had improved due to more jobs, higher wages, and gains in wealth. Indeed, consumers judged their current financial situation more favorably than anytime since the start of the Great Recession. While past gains have usually been associated with optimism about future gains, consumers remained skeptical ...

The Chicago Business Barometer surged 11.7 points to 64.3 in August, regaining all the lost ground seen in July, and pointing to continued strength in the US economy.

Strong growth in the Barometer and three of its key components in August followed a sharp slowdown in July. As expected, it appears that the July lull was temporary and that the momentum exhibited in the Chicago Report in the second quarter has carried through to Q3. ...

Personal income increased $28.6 billion, or 0.2 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $17.7 billion,or 0.1 percent, in July, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased $13.6 billion, or 0.1 percent. In June, personal income increased $67.1 billion, or 0.5 percent, DPI ...

Growth in Tenth District manufacturing activity slowed slightly in August, but producer’ expectations for future activity remained solid. Price indexes indicated little change from the previous month , but expectations for future growth were slightly lower.

The month-over-month composite index was 3 in August, down from 9 in July and 6 in June. The composite index is an average of the production, new orders, employment, supplier delivery time, and raw materials inventory indexes. The overall slowing in manufacturing activity ...

Pending home sales rebounded in July and have now risen in four of the last five months, according to the National Association of Realtors®. All major regions experienced healthy gains except for the Midwest, which saw a slight decline.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, climbed 3.3 percent to 105.9 in July from 102.5 in June, but is still 2.1 percent below July 2013 (108.2). The index is at its highest level since August 2013 (107.1) and is above 100 – ...

For the week ending August 16 2014, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer remained at 98.4 as negative performances of consumption indexes were cancelled out by gains in production indexes. Chain store sales fell by a sharp 1.3 percent, extending the weakening trend to two weeks. MBA’s purchase index also dropped 0.4 percent this week. As to ...

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 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2014, according to the "second" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP decreased ...

In the week ending August 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 298,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 298,000 to 299,000. The 4-week moving average was 299,750, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

Mortgage applications increased 2.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August 22, 2014.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 2.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 2 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 3 ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had increased in July, improved further in August. The Index now stands at 92.4 (1985=100), up from 90.3 in July. The Present Situation Index increased to 94.6 from 87.9, while the Expectations Index edged down to 90.9 from 91.9 ...

Fifth District manufacturing activity continued to improve in August, according to the most recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Shipments and the volume of new orders picked up this month. Although manufacturing employment and average wages rose at a slower pace this month, the average ...

Data through June 2014, released today by S&P Dow Jones Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller1 Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show a sustained slowdown in price increases. The National Index gained 6.2% in the 12 months ending June 2014 while the 10-City and 20-City Composites gained 8.1%; all three indices saw their ...

New orders for manufactured durable goods in July increased $55.3 billion or 22.6 percent to $300.1 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up five of the last six months, was at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992, and followed a 2.7 percent June increase. ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index increased 4.2% for the week ending August 23 - relative to the prior year. On a week-over-week basis, sales increased 0.6%.

"According to the ICSC-GS consumer tracking survey business was strong across the board - especially for wholesale clubs, apparel stores, discounters, dollar stores, and furniture stores - as consumers continued their back-to-school shopping," said Michael Niemira, ICSC ...

Texas factory activity increased again in August, albeit at a slower pace than in recent months, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, fell from 19.1 to 6.8, indicating output growth slowed ...

Sales of new single-family houses in July 2014 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 412,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 2.4 percent (±11.9%) below the revised June rate of 422,000, but is 12.3 percent (±17.1%) above the July ...

Led by improvements in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) rose to +0.39 in July from +0.21 in June. Three of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index made positive contributions to the index in July, and two of the four categories increased ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.9 percent in July to 103.3 (2004 = 100), following a 0.6 percent increase in June, and a 0.6 percent increase in May.

The LEI improved sharply in July, suggesting that the economy is gaining traction and growth should continue at a strong pace for the remainder of the year. Although housing has been one of the weakest components this year, the sharp gain in building permits helped boost ...

Existing-home sales increased in July to their highest annual pace of the year, and the ongoing decline in distressed sales reached an important milestone, 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, rose 2.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.15 million in July from a slight downwardly-revised 5.03 million in June. Sales are ...

Indicators for the August Business Outlook Survey suggest that the region’s manufacturing sector is continuing to grow. The survey’s indicator for general activity was higher this month, but indicators for new orders, shipments, and employment, while positive, fell from their readings in July. The survey’s broad indicators of future ...

For the week ending August 9 2014, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer declined by 0.3 percent to 98.4, after remaining flat the previous week. The decrease in this week’s barometer stemmed from weak performances in consumption indexes. Chain store sales and MBA’s purchase index fell by 1.4 and 1.0 percent, respectively. As to the production ...

In the week ending August 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 298,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 311,000 to 312,000. The 4-week moving average was 300,750, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average. ...

Mortgage applications increased 1.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August 15, 2014.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 1.4 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 ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.1 percent in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.0 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The all items index posted its smallest seasonally adjusted increase since February; the indexes for shelter and food rose, but were partially offset by declines in the energy index and the index for airline fares. The food index rose 0.4 percent in July, with the food at ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees was unchanged from June to July, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from an unchanged average hourly earnings, combined with a 0.1 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,052,000. This is 8.1 percent (±1.8%) above the revised June rate of 973,000 and is 7.7 percent (±1.8%) above the July 2013 estimate of 977,000. Single-family authorizations in July were at a rate of 640,000; this ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index increased 3.8% for the week ending August 16 - relative to the prior year. On a weekly basis, sales decreased 1.3% compared to the previous week.

"According to the ICSC-GS consumer tracking survey business was very strong over the past week for back-to-school categories - especially electronics and apparel," said Michael Niemira, ICSC research consultant. "Business was also strong for department, drug, discount, ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose two points to 55 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for August, released today. This third consecutive monthly gain brings the index to its highest level ...

The outlook for growth in the U.S. economy over the next four years looks mostly unchanged from that of three months ago, according to 43 forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The panel expects real GDP to grow at an annual rate of 3.0 percent this quarter and 3.1 percent next quarter. On an annual-average ...

Industrial production increased 0.4 percent in July for its sixth consecutive monthly gain. Manufacturing output advanced 1.0 percent in July, its largest increase since February. The production of motor vehicles and parts jumped 10.1 percent, while output in the rest of the manufacturing sector rose 0.4 percent. The production at mines moved ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for June 2014. The sum total in June of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a monthly net TIC outflow of $153.5 billion. Of this, net foreign private outflows were $156.9 billion, and ...

The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.1 percent in July, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This increase followed a 0.4-percent advance in June and a 0.2-percent decline in May. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand climbed 1.7 percent for the 12 months ended in July. (See ...

The August 2014 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that business conditions continued to improve for New York manufacturers, but the improvement was less widespread than in the previous month. The headline general business conditions index retreated eleven points to 14.7, after reaching a four-year high in July. The new orders ...

For the week ending August 2 2014, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer remained at 98.7 as positive and negative performances of both consumption and production indexes neutralized each other. MBA’s purchase index dropped by 1.3 percent, but it was entirely offset by gains in chain store sales and railroad freight car loadings. As to ...

U.S. import prices declined 0.2 percent in July, after increasing each of the 2 previous months, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The July decrease was driven by falling fuel prices. Prices for U.S. exports were unchanged in July following a 0.4-percent decrease in June. In July, declining agricultural prices offset ...

In the week ending August 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 311,000, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 289,000 to 290,000. The 4-week moving average was 295,750, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for June, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,346.7 billion, up 0.3 percent (±0.2%) from May 2014 and were up 4.7 percent (±0.6%) from ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for July, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $439.8 billion, virtually unchanged (±0.5) from the previous month, and 3.7 percent (±0.9) above July 2013. Total sales for the ...

Mortgage applications decreased 2.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August 8, 2014.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 2.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 3 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 4 ...

There were 4.7 million job openings on the last business day of June, little changed from 4.6 million in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate (3.5 percent) was little changed and the separations rate (3.3 percent) was unchanged in June. Within separations, the quits rate (1.8 percent) and the layoffs ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index increased 3.2% for the week ending August 9 - relative to the prior year. On a weekly basis, sales decreased 1.4% compared to the previous week.

"Business was a bit more mixed this past week, with electronic stores leading the way from a performance standpoint," said Michael Niemira, ICSC research consultant. "The good news is that consumers are continuing to get a break at the pump, which will free up their ability ...

The Index of Small Business Optimism rose 0.7 points in July to 95.7, not a “4 percent” GDP month for sure. There was little change in the 10 Index components other than outlook for expansion and business conditions which accounted for the small gain in the Index. Even though these improved, they remain ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that June 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 $454.4 billion, up 0.2 percent (+/-0.7)* from the revised May level and were up 6.5 percent (+/-1.8%) from ...

Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased at a 2.5 percent annual rate during the second quarter of 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, as hours increased 2.7 percent and output increased 5.2 percent. (All quarterly percent changes in this release are seasonally adjusted annual rates.) From the second quarter ...

Consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 7-3/4 percent during the second quarter. Revolving credit increased at an annual rate of 5-1/2 percent, while nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 8-3/4 percent. In June, consumer credit increased at an annual rate of ...

For the week ending July 26 2014, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer bounced back by 0.2 percent to 98.7, after declining for two consecutive weeks. The recovery in this week’s barometer is largely driven by production indexes, in which truck production and electric output picked up by 11.5 and 6.3 percent, respectively, more than offsetting ...

In the week ending August 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 289,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 302,000 to 303,000. The 4 - week moving average was 293,500, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised average. This ...

The Nation’s international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $41.5 billion in June from $44.7 billion in May (revised), as exports increased and imports decreased.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that total June exports of $195.9 billion and imports of $237.4 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $41.5 billion, down from $44.7 billion in ...

Mortgage applications increased 1.6 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August 1, 2014.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 1.6 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 4 ...

Economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in July for the 54th consecutive month, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in the latest Non-Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.

The NMI® registered 58.7 percent in July, 2.7 percentage points higher than the June reading of 56 percent. This represents continued growth in the Non-Manufacturing sector. This month's NMI® is the highest reading for the index since its inception in January 2008. The ...