Consumer sentiment remained at very positive levels, with the January reading of 99.8 insignificantly below the cyclical peak of 101.4, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

The maintenance of consumer sentiment near cyclical peak levels is surprising given the overall slow pace of economic growth, which was accompanied in January by renewed military engagements in the Mideast, an impeachment trial in the Senate, and a fast spreading ...

The Chicago Business Barometer, produced with MNI, slipped to 42.9 in January, the lowest level since December 2015. After two straight months of gains, the index fell further into contraction, with the three month average falling to 45.9.

All five major components of the headline index saw a monthly decline, with Order Backlogs leading the way lower, followed by New Orders. ...

Personal income increased $40.7 billion (0.2 percent) in December according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI) increased $30.6 billion (0.2 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $46.6 billion ...

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.7 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in December 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries increased 0.7 percent and benefit costs increased 0.5 percent from ...

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in the third quarter of 2019 (table 1), according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 2.0 percent.

The GDP estimate released today is based on more complete source data than were available for the "second" estimate issued last month. In the second estimate, the increase in real GDP was also 2.1 percent. With the third estimate for the third quarter, upward revisions to ...

In the week ending January 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 216,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 12,000 from 211,000 to 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 214,500, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. ...

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in December indicates that the labor market remains strong and that economic activity has been rising at a moderate rate. Job gains have been solid, on average, in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Although household spending has been rising at a ...

Pending home sales fell in December, taking a step back after increasing slightly in November, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Each of the four major regions reported a drop in month-over-month contract activity, with the South experiencing the steepest fall. However, year-over-year pending home sales activity was up ...

Mortgage applications increased 7.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 24, 2020. This week's results include an adjustment for the Martin Luther King ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased in January, following a moderate increase in December. The Index now stands at 131.6 (1985=100), up from 128.2 (an upward revision) in December. The Present Situation Index – based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions – increased from 170.5 to 175.3. ...

Fifth District manufacturing activity rebounded in January, according to the most recent survey from the Richmond Fed. The composite index rose from −5 in December to 20 in January, as all three components — shipments, new orders, and employment — increased. Local business conditions also improved as this index saw its largest increase ...

S&P Dow Jones Indices today released the latest results for the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices. Data released today for November 2019 show that home prices continue to increase at a modest rate across the U.S.

YEAR-OVER-YEAR
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 3.5% annual gain in November, up from 3.2% in the previous month. The 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 2.0%, up from 1.7% in the ...

New Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in December increased $5.7 billion or 2.4 percent to $245.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up two of the last three months, followed a 3.1 percent November decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.1 percent. Excluding defense, new ...

Growth in Texas factory activity accelerated in January, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose seven points to 10.5, suggesting stronger output growth than ...

New Home Sales
Sales of new single‐family houses in December 2019 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 694,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 0.4 percent (±15.1 percent)* below the revised November rate of 697,000, but is 23.0 ...

Tenth District manufacturing activity was nearly flat in January while expectations for future activity expanded. The month-over-month prices for raw materials increased, while prices for finished products declined from a month ago. District firms continued to expect higher prices in the next ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI)for the U.S. declined 0.3 percent in December to 111.2 (2016 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in November, and a 0.2 percent decline in October.

“The US LEI declined slightly in December, driven by large negative contributions from rising unemployment insurance claims and a drop in housing permits,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board. “The LEI has now declined in ...

In the week ending January 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 211,000, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 204,000 to 205,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,250, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average. ...

Existing-home sales grew in December, bouncing back after a slight fall in November, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Although the Midwest saw sales decline, the other three major U.S. regions reported meaningful growth last month.

Total existing-home sales, completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 3.6% from November to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.54 million in December. Additionally, overall sales took a significant bounce, up ...

Led by declines in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) fell to –0.35 in December from +0.41 in November. Three of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index decreased from November, and three of the four categories made negative contributions to the index in December. The ...

Mortgage applications decreased 1.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 17, 2020.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 0.4 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 2 ...

Responses to the January Nonmanufacturing Business Outlook Survey suggest continued expansion in nonmanufacturing activity in the region. The indexes for general activity at the firm level, new orders, and sales/revenues all rose. However, the index for full-time employment decreased. The firms continued to report overall increases in the ...

The number of job openings fell to 6.8 million (-561,000) on the last business day of November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires and separations were little changed at 5.8 million and 5.6 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits rate was unchanged at 2.3 percent and the layoffs and ...

Consumer sentiment remained virtually unchanged in early January, differing by just 0.2 Index-points from December. This stability extended to all components, both current assessments as well as future economic prospects. Impeachment was barely mentioned--just by 1% of consumers. While those that mentioned impeachment were also somewhat ...

Industrial production declined 0.3 percent in December, as a decrease of 5.6 percent for utilities outweighed increases of 0.2 percent for manufacturing and 1.3 percent for mining. The drop for utilities resulted from a large decrease in demand for heating, as unseasonably warm weather in December followed unseasonably cold weather in ...

Building Permits
Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,416,000. This is 3.9 percent (±1.6 percent) below the revised November rate of 1,474,000, but is 5.8 percent (±1.1 percent) above the December 2018 rate of 1,339,000. Single‐family authorizations in December ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for November 2019. The sum total in November of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a net TIC inflow of $73.1 billion. Of this, net foreign private inflows were $105.7 billion, and ...

The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for November, adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,465.7 billion, up 0.7 percent (±0.2 percent) from October 2019 and was up 1.0 percent (±0.4 percent) from ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes edged one point lower to 75 in January, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The last two monthly readings mark the highest sentiment levels since July of 1999. Low interest rates and a healthy labor market ...

In the week ending January 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 204,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 214,000. The 4-week moving average was 216,250, a decrease of 7,750 from the previous week's unrevised average ...

Prices for U.S. imports advanced 0.3 percent in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, after ticking up 0.1 percent the previous month. The December rise was driven by increasing fuel prices. U.S. export prices declined 0.2 percent in December following a 0.2-percent advance ...

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for December 2019, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $529.6 billion, an increase of 0.3 percent (±0.4 percent)* from the previous month, and 5.8 percent (±0.7 percent) above December 2018. Total sales for the 12 months ...

Manufacturing activity in the region increased this month, according to results from the January Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey. The survey’s indicators for current activity, new orders, shipments, and employment were all positive and increased from their readings in December. The survey’s future activity indexes remained at relatively ...

Economic activity generally continued to expand modestly in the final six weeks of 2019. The Dallas and Richmond Districts noted above-average growth, while Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Kansas City reported sub-par growth. Consumer spending grew at a modest to moderate pace, with a number of Districts noting some pickup from the prior ...

The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine® (HWOL) Index rose in December and now stands at 102.4 (July 2018=100), up from 101.7 in November. The Index declined 0.3 percent from the prior month and is down 2.0 percent from a year ago.

In the Midwest, Kansas increased 2.7 percent and Nebraska grew 2.3 percent. In the Northeast, Rhode Island grew 2.6 percent and Maine fell 1.5 percent. In the South, Virginia increased 2.1 percent and Arkansas increased 1.3 percent. In the West, Oregon declined 2.5 percent ...

The Producer Price Index for final demand edged up 0.1 percent in December, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices were unchanged in November and rose 0.4 percent in October. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index moved up 1.3 percent in 2019, after a 2.6-percent ...

Business activity grew to a small degree in New York State, according to firms responding to the January 2020 Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index was little changed at 4.8. New orders and shipments edged higher. Delivery times were somewhat shorter, and inventories held steady. Employment continued ...

Mortgage applications increased 30.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 10, 2020. Last week's results included an adjustment for the New Year's ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees decreased 0.1 percent from November to December, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from an increase of 0.1 percent in average hourly earnings combined with an increase of 0.2 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.3 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.3 percent before ...

Small business optimism ended the year historically strong, with a reading of 102.7, down 2 points from November. Seven of 10 components fell, two improved, and one was unchanged. An increased number of small business owners reported better business conditions and expect higher nominal sales in the next three months. While frequency of plans ...

he Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) declined in December, following an increase in November. The index now stands at 109.68, down from 110.51 (an upward revision) in November. The decrease marks a 1.2 percent decline in the ETI over the past 12 months.

“The Employment Trends Index decreased in December and continues to be on a flat trend since the summer of 2018. In the current state of the labor market, a flat index is consistent with an ongoing labor market expansion. We expect job growth to remain solid and the labor ...

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 145,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in retail trade and health care, while mining lost jobs.

This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The establishment survey measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For more ...

November 2019 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 $500.7 billion, up 1.5 percent (±0.5 percent) from the revised October level and were up 0.8 percent (±1.1 percent)* from the November 2018 level. ...

In the week ending January 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 222,000 to 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 224,000, a decrease of 9,500 from the previous week's revised average. The ...

In November, consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3-1/2 percent. Revolving credit decreased at an annual rate of 2-3/4 percent, while nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 5-3/4 percent.

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Private sector employment increased by 202,000 jobs from November to December according to the December ADP National Employment Report®.

“As 2019 came to a close, we saw expanded payrolls in December,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and co-head of the ADP Research Institute. “The service providers posted the largest gain since April, driven mainly by professional and business services. Job creation was ...

Mortgage applications decreased 1.5 percent from two weeks earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 3, 2020. The results include adjustments to account for the holidays.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from two weeks earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 22 percent compared with two weeks ago. The Refinance Index decreased 8 ...

New orders for manufactured goods in November, down three of the last four months, decreased $3.6 billion or 0.7 percent to $493.0 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 0.2 percent October increase. Shipments, up two consecutive months, increased $1.7 billion or 0.3 percent to $502.2 billion. This followed a 0.1 ...

Economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in December for the 119th consecutive month, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in the latest Non-Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.

The report was issued today by Anthony Nieves, CPSM, C.P.M., A.P.P., CFPM, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) Non-Manufacturing Business Survey Committee: "The NMI® registered 55 percent, which is 1.1 percentage points higher than the November reading of ...