Tenth District manufacturing activity rebounded in September, and producers’ expectations for future activity also improved. Most price indexes in the survey edged higher, but finished goods price indexes remain at fairly low levels.

The net percentage of firms reporting month-over-month increases in production in September was 14, up from 0 in August and equal to 14 in July (Tables 1 & 2, Chart). The increase in production occurred among both durable and nondurable goods producing plants, with the ...

The Chicago Purchasing Managers reported the CHICAGO BUSINESS BAROMETER improved in September to chalk up a full twelve months of expansion.

BUSINESS ACTIVITY:
EMPLOYMENT net hiring continued;
PRODUCTION and NEW ORDERS improved in tandem;
ORDER BACKLOGS shrank;
INVENTORIES continued to show decreases. ...

For the week ending September 18, 2010, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer declined by -0.3 percent on top of an unrevised -0.1 percent in the prior week. Seventy percent of the barometer’s components lost ground in the latest week with a decline in mortgage applications, truck production, and lumber production carrying over from the prior ...

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 1.7 percent in the second quarter of 2010, (that is, from the first quarter to the second quarter), according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the ...

In the week ending Sept. 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 453,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 469,000. The 4-week moving average was 458,000, a decrease of 6,250 from the previous week's revised average of ...

New York City business activity improved for the first time in four months in September, according to the survey taken by the Institute for Supply Management-New York (ISM-NY).

The Current Business Conditions index rose to 58.3 in September from 55.6 in August. The index remained above the long-run average of about 55. ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 24, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 0.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 1.0 percent ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had improved in August, retreated in September. The Index now stands at 48.5 (1985=100), down from 53.2 in August. The Present Situation Index decreased to 23.1 from 24.9. The Expectations Index declined to 65.4 from 72.0 ...

In September, the seasonally adjusted composite index of manufacturing activity — our broadest measure of manufacturing — turned negative, losing thirteen points to −2 from August's reading of 11. Among the index's components, shipments fell fifteen points to −4, new orders lost ten points to finish at 0, and the jobs index declined fifteen ...

Data through July 2010, released today by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller1 Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show that the annual growth rates in 16 of the 20 MSAs and the 10- and 20-City Composites slowed in July compared to June 2010. The 10-City Composite is up 4.1% and the 20-City Composite is up 3.2% ...

September sales for retailers continued on its rollercoaster ride as weekly sales rebounded slightly this past week. Overall for the week ending September 25, weekly chain store sales rose by 0.4 percent, according to the ICSC and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. On a year-over-year basis, retail sales also continued to improve ...

The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index (CFMMI) decreased 1.4% in August, to a seasonally adjusted level of 79.9 (2007 = 100). Revised data show the index rose 1.9% in July to 81.0. The Federal Reserve Board’s industrial production index for manufacturing (IPMFG) edged up 0.2% in August. Regional output in August rose 8.5% from a year ...

Texas factory activity rose slightly in September, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, edged back into positive territory following a reading near zero ...

Led by declines in production- and employment-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index decreased to –0.53 in August from –0.11 in July. None of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index made a positive contribution in August.

The index’s three-month moving average, CFNAI-MA3, declined to –0.42 in August from –0.27 in July. August’s CFNAI-MA3 suggests that growth in national economic activity was below its historical trend. With regard to inflation, the amount of economic slack reflected in the ...

Sales of new single-family houses in August 2010 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 288,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is unchanged (±16.7%) from the revised July rate of 288,000 and is 28.9 percent (±11.0%) below the August ...

New orders for manufactured durable goods in August decreased $2.5 billion or 1.3 percent to $191.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. Down three of the last four months, this decrease followed a 0.7 percent July increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 2.0 percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 1.2 ...

Existing-home sales rose in August following a big correction in July, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 7.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.13 million in August from an upwardly revised 3.84 million in July, but remain 19.0 percent ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.3 percent in August to 110.2 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in July, and a 0.2 percent decline in June.

While the recession officially ended in June 2009, the recent pace of growth has been disappointingly slow, fueling concern that the economic recovery could fade and the U.S. could slide back into recession. However, latest data from the U.S. LEI suggest little change in ...

Employers took 1,546 mass layoff actions in August that resulted in the separation of 150,192 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 ...

For the week ending September 11, 2010, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer declined slightly by -0.1 percent, but was revised up to a +0.3 percent increase in the prior week (originally reported as +0.2%). Sixty percent of the barometer’s components lost ground in the latest week, but a surge in inflation-adjusted chain store sales and ...

In the week ending Sept. 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 465,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 453,000. The 4-week moving average was 463,250, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 17, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 22.9 ...

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in August indicates that the pace of recovery in output and employment has slowed in recent months. Household spending is increasing gradually, but remains constrained by high unemployment, modest income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit. Business spending on ...

BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 569,000. This is 1.8 percent (±2.0%) above the revised July rate of 559,000, but is 6.7 percent (±1.4%) below the August 2009 estimate of 610,000. Single-family authorizations in August were at a rate of ...

September has been a rollercoaster ride for retailers as weekly sales continue to be volatile swinging back and forth from positive to negative results. Given this, for the week ending September 18, overall weekly chain store sales fell by 1.4 percent, according to the ICSC and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. However, on ...

The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research met yesterday by conference call. At its meeting, the committee determined that a trough in business activity occurred in the U.S. economy in June 2009. The trough marks the end of the recession that began in December 2007 and the beginning of an expansion. ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes held unchanged in September from the previous month's low level of 13, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today.

In general, builders haven't seen any reason for improved optimism in market conditions over the past month. If anything, consumer uncertainty has increased, and builders feel their hands are tied until potential home buyers feel more secure about the job market and ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Before seasonal adjustment, the all items index increased 0.1 percent for the month.) Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.1 percent before ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees was unchanged from July to August, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from a 0.3 percent increase in average hourly earnings, which was offset by a 0.3 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

Results from the Business Outlook Survey suggest that regional manufacturing activity was nearly flat in September. For the second consecutive month, firms reported a decline in both new orders and shipments. Employment levels remained steady this month, but firms reported declines in average work hours. The survey’s broad indicators of ...

For the week ending September 4, 2010, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased +0.2 percent compared to an upward revised flat reading in the prior week. Investor sentiment surrounding the economic outlook has greatly recovered following a bout of better-than-expected data. While the U.S. economy is still too weak to assume that ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for July 2010. Net foreign purchases of long-term securities were $61.2 billion.

Net foreign purchases of long-term U.S. securities were $73.8 billion. Of this, net purchases by private foreign investors were $69.0 billion, and net purchases by foreign official institutions were $4.8 billion. U.S. residents purchased a net $12.6 billion of long-term ...

In the week ending Sept. 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 450,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 453,000. The 4-week moving average was 464,750, a decrease of 13,500 from the previous week's revised average of ...

The U.S. current-account deficit—the combined balances on trade in goods and services, income, and net unilateral current transfers—increased to $123.3 billion (preliminary) in the second quarter of 2010, from $109.2 billion (revised) in the first quarter of 2010. The increase was the fourth consecutive quarterly increase since the deficit ...

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.4 percent in August, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This rise followed a 0.2-percent advance in July and a 0.5-percent decline in June. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods moved up 0.3 percent ...

Industrial production rose 0.2 percent in August after a downwardly revised increase of 0.6 percent in July. The downward revision in July primarily resulted from newly available data on the output of four industries within manufacturing: iron and steel, construction machinery, paper, and pharmaceuticals. The index for manufacturing output ...

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that conditions held relatively steady in New York's manufacturing sector in September. The general business conditions index remained positive, although it slipped 3 points to 4.1. The new orders and shipments indexes were both up moderately for the month, at levels signaling stable activity. ...

U.S. import prices increased 0.2 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, following declines in each of the two previous months. The advance was led by higher fuel prices, which more than offset a second consecutive drop in nonfuel prices. In contrast, export prices decreased in July, falling 0.2 percent after ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 10, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 8.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. This week's results include an adjustment to account for ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers' shipments for July, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,090.0 billion, up 0.7 percent (±0.2%) from June 2010, and up 9.2 percent (±0.5%) from ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for August, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $363.7 billion, an increase of 0.4 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month, and 3.6 percent (±0.5%) above August 2009. Total ...

After 15 weeks of hotter than normal weather, the arrival of cooler weather provided a much needed spark to consumer spending. As a result, retailers finally saw their weekly chain store sales rise once again. According to the ICSC and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index, for the week ending September 11, weekly sales rose by 0.8 ...

IThe Index of Small Business Optimism gained 0.7 points in August, rising to 88.8. Most of the improvement was accounted for by gains in expected real sales and expectations for business conditions six months out, the two components that lowered the Index in July.

The Index has been below 93 every month since January 2008 (32 months), and below 90 for 25 of those months, all readings typical of a weak or recession-mired economy. Near the beginning of the recession in 2008, USA Inc. shareholders elected a new CEO and management team ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that July 2010 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 $350.1 billion, up 0.6 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised June level and were up 12.7 percent (+/-1.6%) from ...

For the week ending August 28, 2010, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer fell -0.1 percent compared to a flat reading in the prior week. August lost ground compared to a strong jump in July, which can be largely attributed to the auto sector where motor vehicle assemblies and auto jobs popped up in July when automakers skipped the typical ...

In the week ending Sept. 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 451,000, a decrease of 27,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 478,000. The 4-week moving average was 477,750, a decrease of 9,250 from the previous week's revised average of ...

The Nation’s international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $42.8 billion in July from $49.8 billion (revised) in June, 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 July exports of $153.3 billion and imports of $196.1 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $42.8 billion, down from $49.8 billion in ...

In July, total consumer credit decreased at an annual rate of 1-3/4 percent. Revolving credit decreased at an annual rate of 6-1/4 percent, and nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 1/2 percent.

...

Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts suggested continued growth in national economic activity during the reporting period of mid-July through the end of August, but with widespread signs of a deceleration compared with preceding periods. Economic growth at a modest pace was the most common characterization of overall conditions, ...

There were 3.0 million job openings on the last business day of July 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The job openings rate increased over the month to 2.3 percent. The hires rate (3.3 percent) and the separations rate (3.4 percent) were unchanged. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job ...